Knowing Who Really Loves You
by ladyd10
Summary: How sick can you really get if you inhale/ingest the warm, almost stagnant water of the Everglades? Our CSI's find out when one inhales the water and things go from bad to worse in a hurry. If they survive, will they be changed forever?
1. Chapter 1

_**Knowing Who Really Loves You**_

Eric parked his Hummer behind Horatio's and got out, going to Frank. The big Texan was gazing out across the expanse of marshland at a distant form of one of the Everglades Park's air boats. Three figures could be seen. The park ranger, identifiable by his uniform, a red-haired man and a petite blonde woman.

"What's up, Frank?"

"Seems Horatio and Calleigh found some of the plane crash evidence all the way out there. I guess the plane shredded itself in the air before nose diving in," Frank said. They watched as Calleigh knelt and reached out into the water. The air boat suddenly tipped alarmingly, water violently disturbed. "Looks like it's something big, too."

"Maybe it's a piece of the plane. The FAA said that it was coming apart the whole way in. Shame it never landed safely. 43 lives lost; we haven't found a single survivor," Eric commented sadly. He hated scenes like this one. He'd rather have the death be human caused rather than mechanical failure.

He watched as something was hauled aboard the air boat. He couldn't tell what it was; it was too far away. Then the boat turned and sped toward them. "Looks like what ever it is, they want to bring it in a hurry."

Once the boat was close enough to shore, the ranger jumped out and hauled it onto dry land. He held his hand out to a completely soaked and shivering Calleigh. She looked for all the world like a drowned rat and that made her look pretty pathetic. Her usually pristine white blouse was smeared with green and brown muck and it clung to her like a nearly transparent second skin. Her tan pants fared no better. She'd probably be forced to call the outfit a loss and toss it all in the trash. With a look of disgust, she picked a long and clingy bit of Spanish Moss off her shoulder and dropped it back in the water. She took the ranger's hand and jumped down, pulling Horatio's suit jacket closer around her.

Eric couldn't help himself. He snorted with laughter. "Cal, I'm still the underwater recovery guy, you know. You didn't have to go diving for the evidence."

She shot both him and Horatio identical glares. "Neither of you are on my good list right now. So much for being a thorough investigator. I see the evidence; I can't reach it; I ask for a little help and then the next thing I know is that I'm swimming in the Everglades doing my best imitation of a gator."

"Is that what happened? It looked like you were hauling up some heavy evidence," Frank commented, struggling to keep a straight face. He didn't feel like being shot where he stood. And, now that he knew she was alright, he found it pretty funny, too.

"I, uhm, I overbalanced the boat and she went in," Horatio said, fiddling with his sunglasses, a look of concern mingled with guilt on his face. "Eric, can you take her back to the Lab and make sure she gets a cocktail? She went in head first and you know how many biologicals there are out there."

"Sure thing, H," Eric said, feeling a little guilty for laughing at her. She could have been hurt; she could have swallowed or inhaled some of that filthy water and she was obviously freezing despite the near ninety degree temperatures. He put his hands on Calleigh's arms and rubbed them to try and generate warmth. "Are you ok? You didn't hit your head or scrape anything?"

"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just freezing. The air is a whole lot colder at 35 miles an hour," she said, still shivering as she got in the Hummer.

Eric got in on the drivers' side, handing her a blanket from the back. "I'm not putting on the A/C. I don't want to freeze you to death. Are you sure you're okay?"

Calleigh sighed, discarding Horatio's now wet suit jacket and wrapping the blanket around her. "I'm fine. I'm just really cold. I'll probably warm up by the time we get back to the Lab; it's about an hour drive."

Eric pulled the Hummer out onto the dirt road and began to drive back to the city. "How about some hot coffee on the way back?"

She graced him with a brilliant smile. "Sounds like heaven."

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By the time they returned to the Lab, Calleigh had let the blanket fall off her shoulders and had opened the window. They got out and headed inside; Eric upstairs to the Lab and Calleigh to the in house Rescue station. She pushed the heavy glass door open.

"Hey Tina," she said brightly.

Tina Winters looked up and couldn't hide the shock at Calleigh's appearance. Bits of vegetation still clung to her hair and her white blouse was smudged with unidentifiable green and brown substances that had now dried into slightly crunchy green and brown substances."Whoa, Calleigh; what happened to you?"

"Well, it was such a lovely day that I thought while I was looking for my evidence in the 'Glades, I'd take a dip," she quipped, her earlier anger now vanished. "I was collecting evidence, the boat overbalanced and I went in head first. I need a 'Glades Special."

Chuckling, Tina rose from behind the desk and ushered Calleigh behind into the small exam room. "Did you hit your head or cut yourself on anything?"

"No; I went straight in and then came straight out. I can tell you it was pretty disgusting and I think I'm beginning to smell," Calleigh said in a very disgusted tone. "The motor pool is going to probably need to fumigate the Hummer before they send it back out. It smells like a gator died in there."

Tina retrieved a set of hypodermics and laid them out on the table in front of her. "Think you swallowed or inhaled any?"

Calleigh shrugged, sitting on the plastic chair. "Maybe; it happened so fast. If anything, it got into my eyes, ears and nose, so, as much as I hate to say this: you get to poke me with needles."

Tina grinned wickedly as she filled the first in a series of syringes. "Don't worry, Cal, I've gotten a lot better at this than the last time."

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A couple of days had passed and the incident with the air boat had been dropped as the Lab gossip. Things were back to normal and Calleigh had stopped receiving little gifts of goldfish crackers and miniature divers from teammates who thought it was funny. It was a rarity that Calleigh's dignity took a dent and everyone had been eager to take advantage and rib her a little, all in good-natured fun. She had to admit, the snack crackers had been a welcome treat, but she could do without all the underwater and bath tub toys.

She had just been finishing up a bullet comparison and fighting an increasingly nasty headache when a report of breaking and entering in Coconut Grove came in. Horatio had sent Eric and Calleigh out on the call. They pulled up at the crime scene, the house large and sprawling. He looked over at her; she wasn't looking quite right in his opinion. She was pale beneath her tan and had circles under her eyes as if she either hadn't slept or was fighting some bug off. Worry still niggled at the back of his mind. She _had_ fallen headfirst into the Everglades just a couple of day ago.

"Cal, are you sure you're alright? You're not looking all that great," Eric said as they retrieved their kits from the back of the Hummer. "Are you coming down with something?"

She glared at him, annoyed that he was reading her so well. In truth, she felt like hell. Her head was beginning to hurt badly, she was slightly dizzy and her stomach churned, arguing with her grilled tuna and salad lunch. "Thanks, Delko. I feel ever-so-attractive right now after that. Let's just get started. I'm fine." She ducked under the yellow tape.

He shrugged and ducked beneath the tape, following her inside the breaking and entering scene. They photographed and printed everything, tape lifting fibers and hairs. It all seemed pretty straight forward to him. Money and high end jewelery were both missing as were all three laptops, both desk top computers and the big screen television; it's empty space a blank accusatory glare on the family room wall. While they processed the scene, Eric kept sneaking worried glances at Calleigh. She was moving progressively slower and seemed to be having a hard time concentrating.

At long last, they had gathered all the evidence they could, replaced everything in their kits and stood. Before Eric could grab the evidence box, Calleigh wavered on her feet. He caught her before she could fall.

"Hey, whoa there; what's going on?" Eric asked as he steadied Calleigh on her feet. Even through the thin fabric of her blouse, she felt feverish to him.

"I stood up too fast; just a head rush, that's all," she lied. In truth, her head pounded with every beat of her heart and she was almost entirely certain that her lunch would make a repeat performance soon; her stomach actually had begun to hurt only echoing the ache in her back and neck.

Before she could react, or pull away from him, he placed his lips to her forehead to confirm his suspicions. "You're burning up, Calleigh. Just admit it that you're sick."

She pulled away and began to walk back to the Hummer. "I'll take an aspirin when we get back if it'll make you feel better."

Shaking his head at her incredible stubbornness, he picked up the evidence box and followed her to the Hummer. She had already gotten in and he could see that she was swallowing hard as if fighting nausea. Her eyes were closed and fine sheen of sweat had broken out all over her. Eric frowned in concern as he started the engine. She really looked seriously unwell.

"Did you ever get that cocktail the other day?" he asked.

"Yeah; I felt like a pincushion. I think Tina lives to jab people with needles," Calleigh replied, eyes still closed behind her sunglasses. She angled the air conditioning at her face to help her fight the growing nausea and dizziness.

Eric grinned. "Sorry about that."

Eric turned the radio on to a soft volume and allowed his partner to rest quietly on the way back to the Lab. He knew without a doubt that she was sick but until her body made it absolutely clear to her that she didn't belong at work, she'd push through as hard as she could. He had never seen her with anything other then a mild sniffle so he actually didn't know what it would take for her to go home.

They pulled into the parking structure and Eric was about to wake Calleigh, when she stirred, the lack of motion and sunlight bringing her out of her light doze.

"Here so soon?" she asked sleepily, lightly rubbing her eyes. Even in the dimmed lighting of the parking structure, she found her environment too bright.

Eric nodded. "Yeah."

Calleigh opened her eyes and took off her sunglasses, feigning a level of health and enthusiasm that she didn't feel. The effort was exhausting. "Great, because I have to test fire three guns and get a couple of projectiles from Alexx," she said, attempting to hide a wince at the sound of the volume of her own voice. _It would all be better soon. Go in, take a couple of aspirin and check to see if Alexx had dug those bullets out of the victim from earlier that day._

Eric took the opportunity to really look her over. He didn't think that it had actually been possible for her to look worse than she had when they first left the crime scene, but she did. "Cal, you really look like you're coming down with something. Why don't you call it a day and go home? The shift only has a couple of hours left. I'm sure Horatio wouldn't mind."

"I'm not going home early because I am not coming down with anything. I have a little headache," she defended. Yet, deep down she knew he was right. She could only count on one hand the times she had felt as bad as she did just then; the last time was almost ten years prior when she had caught the flu from Tim Speedle. He had infected just about everyone in the entire Lab, save for Megan, who was having her own issues on bereavement leave after the death of her husband

"Ok, if you insist," Eric replied, wanting nothing more than to knock her over the head, rendering her unconscious, and take her home.

He opened his door and she did the same. Eric wasn't blind; he saw the careful way she got out and how gently she shut the door. It just served to ramp his concern for her health up a few notches higher. He retrieved the evidence box and they walked in companionable silence to the elevator. "Can you humor me and at least let Alexx take a look at you?"

"Eric, she's busy. I'm not going to bother her. I'll take a couple of aspirin and I'll be fine. Please stop worrying," Calleigh said. Deep down she was touched by his concern, but she had not voluntarily taken so much as a sick day since moving to Miami and wasn't about to take one then.

The elevator dinged and they got on. Eric, to Calleigh's utter relief, dropped the subject and when they reached their floor they went their opposite ways, Calleigh promising to give Eric a hand when she finished with the bullets.

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Alexx stood, evidence bag in hand, staring into an empty firearms lab. "Calleigh?" When she received no answer, she entered and checked the firing range; empty. Figuring that Calleigh might have taken a short break, she turned and decided to check the break room. All she found was Natalia sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.

"Honey, have you seen Calleigh? I have her bullets and she never answered her page. I thought she was on the range, but it's empty," Alexx questioned.

Natalia nodded, looking up from the article she was reading. "Yeah, about ten minutes ago. She was headed into the Ladies' in a real hurry. I haven't seen her come out; not that I was paying any attention anyway."

Alexx frowned. "I'll check there, then. Thank you, Natalia."

She left the DNA expert to her coffee break and made her way to the Ladies' Room. Before she even opened the door she knew something was wrong. She could hear a terrible retching sound coming from within. Someone was getting very sick in there.

She pushed open the door. "Calleigh? Baby?"

"What do you need, Alexx? Do you have my bullets?" Calleigh asked weakly.

Alexx crossed to the stall that Calleigh was currently in and pushed open the unlocked door. She found Calleigh kneeling in front of the bowl. "What's wrong, sugar?"

"I'm not feeling too good."

"I can see that. Can I come in?" Alexx asked, kneeling down close to her. "What's wrong?"

Calleigh fought another wave of nausea. "I don't know. Maybe my lunch is disagreeing with me. I'm nauseous, my head is splitting, my back and neck feel like they're in a vice and I can't seem to stop throwing up."

Alexx frowned in worry. _This was definitely not good. Those were some seriously nasty symptoms which could indicate a seriously nasty illness. _She felt Calleigh's forehead; it was extremely hot to the touch. "Honey, you have a fever. I hate to say it, but you're sick."

Calleigh felt too bad to argue. _She was caught puking into the toilet; the evidence spoke for itself._ "Yeah."

"You need to go home," Alexx said. "You can't be well enough to drive."

"No, I'm not; Eric said he would take me if I needed it," Calleigh admitted. It was killing her to give into her illness, but what else could she do? She couldn't even stand up straight without help, let alone try to focus long enough to be able to drive herself home.

Alexx reached over and held Calleigh's hair out of her face as she retched into the bowl yet again. "I'm calling Eric and then you are going home."

"Yeah."

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By the time that Eric could break away from his AFIS search, Alexx had managed to get Calleigh from the Ladies' Room into the locker room. They were both sitting on the bench in front of Calleigh's open locker; Alexx supporting Calleigh as the latter continued to evacuate her insides into a waste basket.

"Eric you really need to get her out of here," Alexx said, cradling Calleigh's head to her shoulder. "Listen to me carefully and don't let her try and talk you out of it. I want you to take her to the Emergency Room. She's already too dehydrated to be without an IV feed. I've tried to get some water into her, but it won't stay. I know she was in the Glades the other day and fell in. Something got to her and good. Considering the number of nasties out there, I'm willing to bet that it's bacterial and it's not going to get any better without treatment."

Eric listened, worry for his partner growing to alarming proportions. "I'll take her to Dade; it's the closest."

"No, take her to Miami General. I have a good friend working there. She'll get better care," Alexx said.

"No."

"Baby girl, you don't get a say," Alexx snapped, but not angrily. "Your insides are trying to be your outsides; you have at least a 103 fever and you can barely stand up on your own. If they treat you and send you home, that's one thing, but you _are_ going. Period. I'm calling ahead so they know you're coming and then I will meet you there; doctor's orders."

Eric knelt down and put his arm around Calleigh's waist, hauling her gently to her feet. She leaned heavily on him, a small, miserable whimper escaping her lips. "Yes, hospital," he whispered before placing a light kiss on the top of her head. Gently and carefully he lead her out of the locker room, into the elevator and down to his car.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Note: I f the suspense is killing you, not posting the second chapter is killing me. Yes, with this I'm writing ahead by a few chapters, which is why I can feel confident about posting a second chapter on the same day. **_

_**Thanks for the reviews. It just stokes the fire.**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Diagnosis**_

The trip to Miami General was brief and traffic had been light. Eric pulled into the area relegated for official vehicles and put his department placard in the window before going around to the passenger side and helping Calleigh out. Carefully supporting her weakened frame, he hurried her inside and up to the desk.

The attendant, a heavy-set African-American man with a pleasantly rounded face, looked up at them. His name tag read: Robert Johnson. "You Delko and Duquesne?" he asked.

"Yeah," Eric replied.

He rose and ushered them inside, helping Eric settle her on a gurney. While he moved quickly, his hands were gentle with the much smaller woman. "Dr. Woods called and said that it's possibly a bacterial infection that Ms. Duquesne got in the Everglades. Dr. Louis will be here in a minute to see to your..."

"Partner," Eric said as Calleigh moaned and began to choke. He grabbed the nearest wastebasket and placed it beneath her, holding her hair out of her face as she brought up almost nothing but bile because there was almost nothing left but that inside of her. She shook and whimpered and he held her against him, trying his best to soothe her. Robert handed him a dampened washcloth to bathe her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely.

"For what?"

"For not listening to you and giving you a hard time. I should have gone home when you told me to." She whimpered and curled up against him, desperately seeking some sort of comfort or relief to the undeniable agony she was finding herself in. She'd cry if she thought it wouldn't make everything all the worse.

He cuddled her, fear beginning to gnaw at his insides. Alexx had sounded calm, but he had known her long enough to know that she was terribly worried. Eric drew Calleigh fully into his lap. He could feel her shaking as her muscles spasmed and relaxed all on their own accord. "No, you know, I think it was a good thing to be so stubborn this time. You would have gone home and been feeling like this all alone and something worse might have happened. At least staying at the Lab meant that you could get help if you needed it."

"Yeah," she whimpered, retching again. She couldn't ever remember feeling so sick before and was grateful beyond words for Alexx and Eric. She could hear him say something; feel his cool, gentle hands on her face, but it was getting hard to stay awake and her head hurt so much...

"You say she has a high fever, chills, back and neck pain, migraine-like head pain and is vomiting at a high volume?" Dr. Louis asked as he and Alexx entered the curtained off area. "Is there any sign of diarrhea?"

Alexx shook her head, gazing at Eric's tender and loving attempts to comfort Calleigh. By his actions she could see that he was scared out of his mind. "None so far. I thought she might have picked up dysentery, but it's not presenting that way. That's why I want you to look at her."

Dr. Louis spoke gently to Calleigh, his soft Jamaican accent giving a soothing lilt to his words. "Ms. Duquesne, can you answer some questions for me?"

Calleigh's voice was soft, but firm. "Yeah."

"When did you begin to feel ill?"

She struggled to make her mind work. She had felt fine at lunch, even though she had just had the break-up talk with Jake. She had been a little sad, but was physically fine. She had gone back to the Lab and was working on uncrushing a mangled casing when she remembered that her head, neck and back had started to hurt and she had begun to have what she thought was an upset stomach. "I guess around noon or maybe 1:00 this afternoon. I really didn't think anything of it at the time."

The doctor nodded, making a few notes on her chart. "Have you recently been around any biohazard areas ?"

Calleigh almost laughed, but the pain in her head kept her from doing so. "Does taking a header into the Everglades count?"

He smiled at her spirit. It was clear to him already that she was seriously ill but she was fighting it for all she was worth. "I think that counts. How long ago was that?"

A disabling pain shot through her stomach and she moaned, curling up into a fetal position. "Eric?" she whispered, burrowing into his embrace, asking him to answer for her.

"Tuesday, but she went straight to our Rescue unit and got a round of antibiotics," he replied, understanding. He wrapped his arms around her shaking, miserable form even more securely and exchanged worried looks with Alexx.

"I see; that would be roughly 48 hours," Louis said. "Now, Ms. Duquesne, I need to take a look at you and I need to take a few tests so we can see what got a hold of you. Your friends will wait right outside, alright?"

Calleigh nodded, feeling Eric let her go and help her to lie down. She immediately began to ache from the loss of his comforting contact. "Yeah."

The curtain was drawn between the doctor and his patient and her concerned friends. Alexx took Eric's arm, leading him away and into the waiting room. "I've called Horatio and as soon as he's done at his scene, he'll meet us here. I don't like this, Eric; she's too sick too fast."

Eric shook his head. "I tried to get her to go home. I thought she wasn't right."

"For once her stubbornness was a good thing," Alexx commented then saw the pained look on Eric's face. "Oh, baby, I know you would have checked up on her after your shift, which would have been right about now anyway. She's in good hands. I went to medical school with Gabriel. He's one of the best infectious disease specialists in this area of the country. That's why I wanted you to bring her here."

For the first time since knowing Calleigh was sick it dawned on Eric; infectious disease. He had been in close contact with her for a prolonged period. "Alexx, you said infectious disease. Think I might have picked up anything from her?"

"Since we don't know what it is, I can't tell you, but I've been in close contact with her, too. We'll just have to wait and see what Gabe says. Until then, we're both going to have to sit tight," Alexx said lamely, knowing that she needed to call her husband and let him know what was going on and that she wouldn't be coming home until they knew what infection Calleigh had.

Their attention was drawn by Horatio entering, trailing Jake Berkeley in his wake. Alexx held up her hand when they were about ten feet away. "Don't get any closer. We don't know what she's got and we might be carriers. We've been in close contact with her."

Jake stepped up to them. "Then I am, too. I had lunch with her and we kissed." He didn't add that it was a break-up kiss that sealed the end of their relationship on a gentle, yet sad note.

Eric suppressed a growl. It still killed him that Calleigh was with Berkeley. He didn't like nor did he trust the guy, especially with someone as precious to him as Calleigh. "Yeah, well, then that makes two of us." _On the top of the head and to check for a feverish forehead...but a kiss was a kiss._

Jake raised his eyebrows in curiosity. _Was he the reason that Calleigh broke it off? Did she leave him for Delko?_ "Yeah? Well that was fast."

Any further commentary was interrupted by Doctor Louis exiting the Emergency Room doors. One look at his face told them he was not bringing them good news."Doctor Woods is correct. Ms. Duquesne picked up some sort of infection, most likely bacterial. I will not lie to you; she's seriously ill. It was a good thing you brought her in. She is severely dehydrated, has a sensitivity to light, severe head pain and very swollen lymph nodes among other things. Blood is being drawn and I'm starting her on a broad spectrum antibiotic. I don't think any of you are carrying the infection, no matter in how close contact you were with her. If any of you are worried, I'll make certain that you're inoculated before you leave," He turned to Delko. "Are you Eric?"

"Yeah."

"Then she's asking for you."

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Eric made his way to the small, curtain walled cubicle. He couldn't help but feel a slight sense of triumph at being the only one asked for. Him, not Berkeley. Granted, Calleigh had no idea that Jake was even there, but it still made him feel very wanted and very trusted that Calleigh would ask for him in her extremely vulnerable state.

He pushed open the curtain and stepped inside, taking in her appearance. The ER staff already had started an IV line and had put her on oxygen as a precaution. Calleigh lay on her side, curled in a fetal position with her eyes closed. She had drawn her light blanket up to her chin and was shivering uncontrollably. Her skin was pale and she looked like death, itself. Eric felt his level of worry for her raise to a nauseating level. His stomach churned with fear.

Eric sat at her side, stroking her hair. "You wanted to see me?" he whispered, desperate to keep his worry from his voice.

She cracked open a fever bright eye. "Yeah. I wanted to apologize."

Eric smiled gently. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

"I gave you a hard time, Eric. You were right; I was wrong. I'm sorry," she said, wincing as another painful cramp passed through her abdomen. She whimpered in misery.

"You already said that and it doesn't matter, Querida. What matters is that you're going to do everything the doctor tells you to do and get well," he said tenderly as the curtain was pulled aside by a nurse and a couple of orderlies. "It looks like they're moving you to your room now. I'll be up as soon as they let me. Now be good for them."

Calleigh nodded as Eric stepped back and away so that the hospital staff could do what was needed.

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Horatio looked up sharply as Eric exited the ER doors. He was deeply concerned to see fear haunting Eric's eyes. "Well, how is she doing?"

Eric ran a hand over his face in exhaustion and worry. "H, she's pretty bad. They have an IV running and have her on oxygen. Her brain is so fried right now that she couldn't remember a conversation that we just had."

Horatio frowned and turned to Alexx. "What's going on?"

"I wish I knew. All Gabe said was that she's got a bacterial infection that has probably taken up residence in her gastrointestinal tract, which is why she's so nauseous and vomiting. He doesn't know what kind of bacteria or how exactly to treat it just yet. He said that he'll be contacting colleagues at the CDC for a consult. Until then, the antibiotic he's started her on is a broad spectrum, most likely similar to what she got at Rescue. He'll be giving her something for the nausea and vomiting, but until he figures out what'll work the best, we just have to hang tight and do our best to see that she's kept comfortable and calm," Alexx said truthfully, not bothering to hide her concern. She turned to Jake. "You had lunch with her. How was she then?"

Jake shrugged, his own worry for his ex-girlfriend gnawing at him. The fact that they had broken it off just that day not erasing the care and concern he still felt for her, and probably always would. From what was being described, it sounded like something to be scared over. He ran his hands through his spiky dark brown hair. "She was fine. We ate at Puck's. She had the sesame encrusted seared tuna cutlets and caprese salad. She's had that at least a dozen times; it's her favorite. She cleared her plates. We talked over lunch and then we left. I went back to Homicide and she, I guess, went back to the Lab. The next thing I know is Dr. Woods calling Horatio and telling him that Calleigh is seriously ill and to meet her here."

"She wasn't picking at her food?" Alexx asked, worried about the apparently rapid onset of the illness. The fact that Calleigh had gone from perfectly healthy to gravely ill in a matter of six or seven hours made her deeply concerned that her dear friend and colleague wasn't done with the worst yet.

Jake shook his head, remembering her appetite. Despite the fact that she had broken it off with him, she had definitely been hungry. "No, not at all. She said she was starving because she missed breakfast this morning; something about an early call out. It wasn't just words, Dr. Woods. She was ravenous."

"What is it, Alexx?" Horatio asked, pacing the floor, guilt gnawing at his insides. _He'd overbalanced that boat sending her into the water. It shouldn't have happened._

"I'm just concerned with the rapid onset of this," Alexx admitted. She looked at her watch. "Why don't you boys go and get some dinner and I'll see if Calleigh is in a room yet. I'll call you when she is."

"Alex, I can't-" Eric began.

"Don't even, sugar. You're not eating isn't going to do her any good. She's got her own issues right now. If you want to be any good for her, you need to not get sick, yourself," she scolded in her most motherly voice.

"What about you?" Eric asked, knowing better than to try and cross Alexx when she used that tone.

"Bring me back something. I'll stay with her. Go on, eat."

Reluctantly, but knowing that she was right, the three men left the ER in search of something nourishing, although none of them had the appetite to eat.

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Alexx sat at Calleigh's bedside and watched helplessly as the other woman tossed and turned, apparently in the grip of another unsettling fever dream. She shivered uncontrollably beneath the light blanket. Suddenly, she let out a cry and her eyes flew open.

Alexx settled herself on the bed. "It's alright, Calleigh. It was just a dream," she said soothingly, a gentle hand stroking her cheek.

Calleigh's eyes darted around the hospital room, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings. Then the headache and painful brightness crashed in, making her close her eyes and let out a low groan. She felt cool, gentle hands on her forehead, then a damp, cool cloth laid there. It felt wonderful.

"Honey, I'm going to take your temperature. I want you to hold still," Alexx said as she placed the digital thermometer in Calleigh's mouth and waited for the soft beep. When it did, she drew it out and raised an eyebrow at the reading. 104.9. It was going up, not down.

"What's happening to me?" Calleigh whispered, clearly afraid. Every inch of her body hurt but, thankfully, the nausea seemed to be gone. "Why do I feel so bad? Why does everything hurt?"

"Don't you worry about that, now. You need to rest." Alexx turned as Gabriel entered and gestured to her to step outside with him. "I'll be right back. Don't you go anywhere on me."

Alexx rose and followed him into the hallway. He waited for the door to shut behind him before speaking.

"I've spoken with my colleagues at the Florida division of the CDC and they tell me that Ms. Duquesne is presenting symptoms of Primary Amoebic Meningitis. It's extremely serious and almost always fatal. I need to get a head CT and a spinal tap to be absolutely certain. In the mean time I've ordered up Amphotericin B, Rifampicin and Miconazole as a cocktail to be given intravenously and I'm moving her to the ICU as a precaution."

Alexx's stomach dropped into her shoes. She had heard of PAM and had read about it in her journals. It was seriously nasty and often fatal. "Just what's the mortality rate on this? I'll need to tell the others and get her father over here. I need to know what to tell them."

"Alexx, it normally has anywhere between a 50-90 mortality rate, but that's if it's not caught in time. We got to her in the first few hours of the onset of the symptoms. She's a young, healthy adult woman. She obviously takes good care of herself. She'll have a fighting chance now that we know what it could be," Gabriel said softly. He had known Alexx for many years and knew the depth and intensity with which she cared about the people surrounding her. He knew, without a doubt, that she was gravely worried over this colleague of hers. "I want you to know that there can be lasting complications as a result of this. There can be deafness, blindness, seizures or paralysis. There's no guarantee that any of that will happen or all of it can. It could also be temporary or permanent. I just don't know and it's too soon to tell anyway. I'll let you know as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Gabriel. I need to make a few calls and spread the word," Alexx said softly, her heart wrenching in her chest. She bowed her head and leaned on the wall for support. Her baby girl was going to leave this experience changed in one way or another. Alexx moved to a nearby chair and sat down heavily, the weight of the world on her shoulders. She put her head in her hands and let herself be entirely unprofessional, allowing the tears to roll down her cheeks in sorrow. Calleigh didn't need her to be yet another doctor hovering over her bed, but someone that just loved her and was her friend and it was as that friend that she wept alone in the corridor.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

_**The Battle Begins**_

Kenwall Duquesne ran his hand over his face for the fourth time as Alexx explained his daughter's situation to him in as calm a manner as he'd ever seen. The curtain of professionalism had fallen over her once again, rendering her the doctor with a gentle bedside manner.

"Mr. Duquesne, have I lost you?" Alexx asked kindly. "I know this is a lot to take in all at once and even I had a hard time grasping it at first."

"You're telling me that my daughter could die and if she doesn't she could be permanently disabled? Hell yes it's a lot to take in Dr. Woods!" Kenwall exploded then sat in the same chair that Alexx had occupied less than an hour previously. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "My little girl, my baby; my Lambchop. How did this happen?"

Alexx sat next to him, rubbing his back. Whatever trouble that he had caused Calleigh in the past, he was still her father and he loved her. "She was out in the Everglades collecting evidence on a plane crash investigation and the boat overbalanced and she fell in. She must have inhaled a decent amount of contaminated water. She started to feel bad shortly after lunch today and it rapidly went downhill from there. Her doctor is one of the best in the infectious diseases field. He thinks it's Primary Amoebic Meningitis, which is very rare, but possible. He's already started her on the prescribed medication and is in the process of having her moved to Intensive Care for observation. He's already taken a spinal tap and Calleigh is having a head CT as we speak. She's being well cared for. The best news in all of this is that she's gotten medical care and will be diagnosed in under a 24 hour period which doesn't just dramatically decrease her mortality rate, but dramatically increases her chance at a full recovery. Most cases have not seen medical care before the first 36 hours with proper treatment not beginning to be administered until after the 40th hour after the onset of the symptoms. Calleigh started feeling ill early this afternoon. It hasn't even been 12 hours yet. The hospital lab is backed up, but we've sent her blood over to our crime lab and Natalia and Maxine will do their best to get us the results in as quick a time as they humanly can. They love Calleigh, Mr. Duquesne; we all do."

"It's good to know that so many people care about her. She's had too little of it in her life and deserves all the love she can stand. What's your role in this if you're not taking care of her, Doctor Woods?" Kenwall asked, swiping at watery eyes.

"I'm a Medical Examiner and I only deal with the dead, not the living, but even if I wasn't, I couldn't treat her; we're too close. So my role is the same as you, sir. Someone who loves Calleigh and will be here, no matter what, to help her recover to her fullest," Alexx said softly as Horatio, Eric and Jake walked up. "Mr. Duquesne, why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get a cup of coffee? I'll let you know when they've put Calleigh in ICU."

"Alexx," Horatio began as the three men stepped forward, allowing Calleigh's father to depart before they approached, "judging from her father's face, the news isn't good, is it?"

Alexx sighed, indicating the chairs in the waiting area. "Why don't you boys have a seat?"

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"Daddy?" Calleigh whispered as she opened her eyes, squinting in the dim light of her ICU cubicle; even it was too bright for her highly light sensitive eyes. "It must be bad if they called you."

Kenwall sat on her bed, taking her hand. "Now Lambchop, don't you worry about that. Look at what I brought you." He held up a beautifully made quilt that had definitely been very well used and loved. He spread it over her, tucking her in.

She gave a slight smile. "Gran's quilt; now I know I'm sick. She made it for me when I had scarlet fever when I was five. Is it scarlet fever again?"

Kenwall thought for a minute before replying. He knew her well enough to know that she would never forgive him if he lied to her. "No, sweetie, it's not. The doc says you have a kind of meningitis and they're doing everything they can to help you get over it. All you need to do is rest and take it easy and let them do all the hard work."

She stiffened in alarm. "Meningitis? People die from that. You hear it all the time on the news; college students in dorms and-"

Kenwall stroked her hair. "Sh-h-h, it's not like that for you. You got help early. You're going to be fine. Just relax and rest; that's the best thing you can do right now. You've got lots of people that love you and are going to take care of everything for you, alright?"

Calleigh nodded and squeezed his hand, trying to blink back the few tears that had gathered in her eyes. "Will you stay here?"

He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Of course I will, Lambchop."

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Horatio slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, making the few other people in the waiting room look over at him. "Dammit, this is my fault."

"Now why do you say that?" Alexx asked, although she already knew the answer. She rose and went to him, attempting to soothe him.

He brushed her off; he'd not be comforted. "I should have taken Eric like I originally wanted to. It was the Everglades; he's a trained diver. But, no, I changed my mind and took Calleigh instead. I took her because I was being selfish and missed her company. We've barely exchanged a dozen words in the last several months because our individual caseloads have pulled us in opposite directions and I wanted a little time to catch up and reconnect. I overbalanced the boat; I'm the one that sent her in. This is my fault, Alexx, and don't try to tell me it isn't."

"Horatio, did you both load up on antibiotics before you went out?" Alexx asked.

He blinked at her question. "Of course we did. It's standard procedure."

Alexx nodded, "And did you go out with a park ranger driving the boat?"

"Yes."

"And Calleigh was gloved up and all other necessary protective gear on," Alexx persisted. She had to make him see that it was in no way his fault or it would just eat him up inside.

"Yes."

"The evidence got stuck and she asked for help. You moved to help her, but so did the ranger and the boat overbalanced. For goodness' sake, Horatio, honey, it's no one's fault. You didn't know that Calleigh was going to fall in and no one knew she was going to get sick from it. She's been in the 'Glades enough times over the years and has never even gotten anything more than a few mosquito bites. This is why it's called an accident. It's a random set of actions that end up in misfortune. You can go ahead and keep blaming yourself but I'd call you a fool if you did," Alexx said forcefully."The fact that her own stubborn streak probably saved her life means that she's going to pull through. Calleigh is tough as nails and you know it."

"What if she ends up permanently disabled?" Horatio asked, his heart still torn in two. He had known Calleigh well enough for long enough that no matter how tough she seemed on the exterior, she wouldn't be able to bounce back if her independence was taken away. The spark would go out of her for good.

"Then we will be there to help her through it. Right now we have to be her strength, the rocks she can lean on, the shoulders she can cry on. So, you need to pull it together Horatio. She's not the only one that needs you," Alexx said, nodding to where Eric and Ryan both sat, Eric with his head in his hands and Ryan leaning back, looking up at the ceiling, worry permeating the air around them, nearly coloring it. Natalia leaned against Ryan, tears standing in her eyes. She had brought them all the news on the blood work and felt responsible for the current level of angst that bound the group in a pained knot. "You know I'm right."

Ducking his head in a nod, Horatio took the chair next to Natalia and put his arm around her, drawing her over to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sniffled slightly. "Yeah."

Jake leaned against the wall a little further away, looking out the window at the darkening sky. The window faced the west and the sky was ablaze in a glory-filled rainbow of colors. It was sunsets like those that Calleigh always loved the best because of the spectacular colors. He ran his hand over his face. It was possible that Calleigh would never see another sunset again. Doctor Louis said that her vitals were still strong and although she wasn't out of the danger zone yet, it looked good so far, but there was still a possibility of her going blind or deaf or being paralyzed or having seizures. He was genuinely scared for her. Even though they were no longer together that didn't mean that he suddenly stopped caring about her. He knew he'd really never stop. There was something about her that made people fall in love with her just a little. Jake knew how highly she prided herself on her total self-reliance. If even an iota of that were taken away...he wasn't sure what would happen. She wouldn't be the same old feisty Calleigh, he knew that for certain.

He glanced back at the CSI team and wished he felt like he could go over and keep vigil with them. Calleigh spoke so highly of each of them and he knew by the look in her eyes when she spoke that she loved them completely. They were family to her; she'd lay down her life for them and he now could see that they'd do the same for her. It was painfully clear that he was not of that inner circle, that family, yet he couldn't leave, couldn't go home. He was Jake Berkley, the outsider, the one that broke her heart not once, but twice and he didn't deserve to be welcomed into their supportive circle.

All heads shot up as Kenwall entered the waiting room. He looked tired and had visibly aged since arriving at the hospital.

Eric stood. "How is she, sir?"

"Right now she's sleeping but I can tell you she's scared out of her mind. She knows what she has and if I know my Calleigh, she'll fight for all she's worth," he replied, sitting down in one of the chairs. He looked exhausted. "The thing is, she's not used to being sick. She was always a healthy, robust child and that just carried into her adulthood. The only time that I really remember her ever having more than a sniffle was when she was five and caught scarlet fever in school. We nearly lost her."

"Wait, you said she had scarlet fever?" Alexx asked sharply. "That could account for her being so vulnerable to this bacteria. It's very similar. I need to let Gabe know so that her treatment can be updated. Mr. Duquesne, that piece of information just might have made all the difference."

Natalia stood. "I'm going to go see her. I think I can now without scaring her."

"She's asleep," Kenwall reminded her.

Natalia sat next to Kenwall. "I know, but, you see, Calleigh and I just really became friends over the last year. She, uhm, she was the first one in the Lab to forgive me for something I did that caused everyone a whole lot of trouble and she reached out to me and encouraged me to become a full-fledged CSI. She put her neck on the line and believed in me when no one else would even give me a chance. She's been-is an amazing mentor and a good friend and I just-I want to be here for her. Give some back, you know?"

He gave her a soft smile, once again grateful that his daughter was surrounded by people that cared so much. "Then you go on in and sit with her. She's out like a light, but she'll know you're there."

"This is so frustrating!" Ryan growled as Natalia left. "I want to do something, anything. How the hell do you arrest a bacteria? It's not like you can take it away in handcuffs and everything is alright."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Eric couldn't help but smile a little at the image Ryan's statement evoked. "Thanks, man; I needed that visual of a single bacteria being lead away in a tiny pair of handcuffs by a couple of badge-toting antibiotics."

A small round of chuckles lightened the gloomy atmosphere. Ryan couldn't help but add, "Come out with your nuclei in the air and no one gets hurt."

"We're gonna have to remember that one and tell it to Calleigh," Eric said with a laugh.

"Bet she'd snort," Ryan said with his own laugh.

"You're on," Eric said, then sobered. "This shouldn't be happening. Cal doesn't get sick. She should be tearing apart a gun instead of laying in a hospital bed."

One by one their pagers went off. 31; homicide. Horatio rose. "Alright, we're still a working team even without our ballistics expert. We need to go."

"H, one of us should stay behind. Mr. Duquesne said that Calleigh is scared and it might be comforting for her to have one of us here," Ryan said. "That way we can keep updated on her condition."

Horatio stood still, looking thoughtfully at his team; his family. Eric and Calleigh were the only ones left from the original team, Alexx aside, and Horatio knew how close they always had been. "Eric, why don't you stay? Call me if there's any change."

Eric was flooded with relief. He knew he wouldn't be able to process a scene knowing Calleigh's life or death struggle. "Will do, H. I'm going to go and sit with her. Keep me updated on the case."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Fear of the Unknown**_

After Eric had changed positions with Natalia, he settled himself in and watched Calleigh's pale features shift as she dreamed. The dim lighting and soft noises of the monitors soon lulled him into a light doze. He laid his head on the edge of Calleigh's bed and closed his eyes.

"Eric?"

Calleigh's soft voice woke him instantly. "I'm here. Do you need anything?"

"Where are you?" she asked.

Eric realised that she couldn't see him from where he was reclined at the foot of her bed. He rose and sat at her side, taking her hand in his. "I'm right here. How did you know I was here?"

She struggled to focus her eyes on him, but the light from the hall was searingly bright. "Your after shave; I can barely see you. The light from the hall is too bright."

"Then close your eyes, Querida" he said soothingly, glancing over his shoulder at the soft lighting with concern. He scooted up a little closer to her head and gently stroked her cheek and effectively blocking out the nighttime lighting. "Is there anything you need?"

"No," she breathed. "Where's my dad?"

"H took him home on the way to a crime scene. I would have gone too, but we thought it was better that I stay with you in case you woke up all confused," Eric said, watching her brow wrinkle. She seemed to be fighting with something. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything and it'll stay between us."

She opened eyes damp with the moisture of unshed tears. "The last time I was this sick I almost died. I know I was very little, but it was like this. My head feels like it's going to explode and every inch of my body hurts like I'm being pulled apart. I know I have meningitis and that it can be fatal. I know it's a swelling of the brain. What if my body isn't strong enough to fight it off? Even if it is, I know what can happen to me; Alexx told me and I know it's the truth because I know she'd never lie to me. I can go blind or deaf. I can come out of this permanently paralyzed or have seizures for the rest of my life. I don't know if I'm strong enough for that; to live with that. Eric, I'm scared of dying and just as scared of living. You probably think I'm a coward and-"

Eric wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheeks and towards her ears. The monitors attached to her were beeping faster and harder, signaling that her heart rate and blood pressure were beginning to rise. He desperately wanted to calm her down, calm her fears. "Sh-h-h. I don't think you're a coward and you have every right to be scared. Querida, calm down; it's only going to make you feel worse. You have to calm down; please."

Suddenly she began to shake uncontrollably and little choking sounds came from her throat. Terrified, Eric shot off the bed and into the hall. "Hey, she's-"

He needn't have even moved. The nurses were already on their feet and brushing past him. "She's seizing; get the clorazepate. We've got to stop this."

The second nurse disappeared briefly and returned with a syringe and injected it into Calleigh's IV line. Within moments that felt more like hours to Eric, Calleigh relaxed and lapsed into a deep, hopefully healing, sleep.

The nurse turned to Eric, who was doing a quite a bit of shaking of his own. He couldn't take his eyes off of Calleigh and felt sick to his stomach and slightly dizzy. He could barely hear the nurse when she spoke.

"Sir, you need to sit down," she said, assisting him into a chair and then lifting a glass of cool water to his lips. He drank and she could see that his eyes had begun to refocus. "She had a seizure; what was going on right before it happened? Please be specific so we can keep this from happening again."

Eric struggled to make his mind work for Calleigh's sake. "She, uhm, she woke up and we were talking She knows what's wrong with her and is very aware of what could happen as she recovers. She got extremely upset and was crying. She's scared. I saw the monitors start to go crazy and I tried to calm her down, but then she just started shaking. Is she going to be alright?"

"Dr. Louis will need to examine her to see if there's any damage done. Why don't you go on home and let her sleep it off?" the first nurse said kindly.

Eric shook his head. He knew that couldn't leave her side; it would tear him apart with worry. "No, I'd rather stay. I don't want to be away from her. She means too much to me."

"Are you her husband?"

"No, no nothing like that. I'm her partner; we're CSI's. Calleigh has had my back for the last ten years. I'd lay down my life for her and she'd do the same for me. I can't leave her side; I need to be here for her," Eric said, emotion making his voice thick.

The second nurse, a blonde, pat his shoulder. "You two must be very close."

Eric nodded, his eyes still on Calleigh's sleeping form."Yeah, we are. I can't just up and leave her after that. I don't want her to panic and make things worse when she wakes up. She knows that seizures can be part of the rest of her life. She's going to need someone that she trusts to reassure her that this could have been an isolated event. It is isolated, right?" When the blonde nurse nodded, he continued, "she's going to need me."

The nurses shared a knowing look. It wasn't just a work partnership or even a close friendship he was talking about. He loved this seriously ill woman. The blonde nurse spoke. "If you can help us keep her calm when she wakes up then we'd really appreciate it if you'd stay."

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"H, she had a seizure," Eric told his brother-in-law over the phone. "It scared the hell out of the both of us."

"How is she now?" Horatio asked, his voice overflowing with concern. Unless it involved a current investigation and couldn't wait until morning, Eric never called him this late at night.

"She's still sleeping it off. They gave her some anti-seizure medication and it knocked her out. The nurses don't expect her to wake up before morning. Hopefully by then the antibiotics will have done something," Eric said, sounding equally as worried. "How's the murder case going?"

"The usual. Guy kills another guy over a girl," Horatio replied, sounding uncharacteristically bland about it. His stomach turned in both guilt and worry for the millionth time in less than 24 hours. This situation was worse, in some respects, than when Eric had been shot. This was Calleigh. This was his rock solid, second in command, always there and dependable Calleigh. He ran his hand over his sleep deprived features before saying, "Eric, I want you to stay the night over there. Call me if there are any changes. I'm going to be keeping my eye on Mr. Duquesne. Calleigh does not need her father falling apart right now."

Eric didn't want to sound like a scared little boy, but he certainly felt like one. She might not know it, but she was the love of his life and watching her suffer through the illness was killing him. What could happen to her as she recovered could kill her. "What are we going to do if she comes out of this changed? How are we going to handle her? You know she'll be shattered."

Horatio was silent for a long time, contemplating the information that Eric gave him. The same questions had ricocheted around in his mind for hours before he voiced them to the only one that had even a tiny idea of his fears. He repeated to Eric what Alexx had told him. "Just be patient and support her and let her know that we will love her no matter what. But let's leave that for if it happens. Right now let's just focus on her beating this thing."

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Dr. Louis gently shook Eric's shoulder to wake him. As Eric raised his head and opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of an angel. No, a very beautiful woman, to be exact. She had shoulder length dark caramel colored hair, golden skin and enormous dark chocolate eyes set in a lovely heart shaped face. If his heart hadn't already been owned lock, stock and barrel by the woman in the hospital bed he would have been very taken with the beauty in front of him. As it was, he noted her beauty and appreciated it, wondering what she could do to help the love of his life.

"Mr. Delko, this is Dr. Maria Santos. She's a former medical school classmate of mine and Alexx's. I've called her in from Pennsylvania to consult in Ms. Duquesne's case," Gabe said in his soothing Jamaican lilt. "She's a skilled neurosurgeon and can give better insight into the complexities of this illness."

"Gabe called me last night with the diagnosis and I have to admit, I've never seen a case of PAM, but I am very familiar with meningitis and am interested in your friend's case."

"She's not a case, Dr. Santos, she's a person," Eric said hotly.

She ducked her head, giving all the signs of being entirely apologetic. "Forgive me, Mr. Delko, I didn't mean any disrespect or mean to dehumanize her. I just meant that I'm interested in the disease and want to know what will give her and any future sufferers the best chance to recover. She's an important case. She was sent to seek medical treatment far earlier than any other victim of PAM that has been recorded. She has been positively diagnosed with it a full two days earlier than any known case. The fact that she had two doses of a broad spectrum antibiotic has no relevance here because they are not known to be effective against PAM. And, although, at all times, it will be utmost in my mind that she is a person with thoughts and feelings and fears, I am most interested in the bacteria that infected her and how to beat it. It's a killer, Mr. Delko and Ms. Duquesne could hold the key to catching it."

Without knowing it, the doctor used the exact terminology that Eric couldn't refute. "Then, by all means, Dr. Santos, please examine her. I want her to recover as much as anyone."

She graced him with a very sweet smile, then moved to Calleigh's bedside and and began to run a series of sensory tests on her while the woman slept. Only when Calleigh appeared to become slightly agitated did she stop, concluding that the rest of the simple tests needed to be concluded while the patient was awake and coherent.

"Has she been awake at all, Mr. Delko?" Dr. Santos asked.

"Yeah. She was for a little while yesterday with her dad and a bit last night with me. She's really scared, Doctor. She knows what can happen to her and she let those fears get the best of her last night and she had a seizure. The nurses knew what to do to stop it, but it scared me to death. I know when she wakes up she's going to want answers," Eric said honestly. If he was to be of any help to Calleigh, he had to be her voice while she couldn't speak.

Dr. Santos frowned. "Tell me what happened."

"We talked and she admitted her fears to me and then she got very agitated and began to cry and then she seized," Eric said, although the part about Calleigh crying just about tore his heart in two. She would never have admitted to it herself, but he felt it was in her best interest to have everything in the open if this Dr. Santos was going to help her.

"Alright, that tells me something. It tells me that emotional upheaval, at least right now when her system is overrun by the bacteria, goes into overload and her brain short circuits and she has a seizure. For now, until the bacteria have retreated to non-alarming levels, she needs to be kept completely calm. Otherwise her neural pathways could rewrite themselves into a pattern of dealing with severe stress by seizing and that could spell a very bleak future for her. Gabe filled me in with what she does for a living."

"Alright, how do we do that," Eric asked, clearly at a loss. "You can't lie to Calleigh and expect anything other that utter distrust from then on out, so truthful answers will only be accepted. Before you even say anything, Calleigh can smell a lie, even a little white one, a mile off. You can't bluff around her. She could teach professional poker players a thing or two about bluffing."

Dr. Santos's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't calm her with just hopeful words? She's tougher than anyone I have ever had as a patient."

Eric smiled ruefully, yet entirely proud of Calleigh. "Calleigh Duquesne is a true steel magnolia. She looks pretty and delicate but there is a hard edge of steel beneath the surface. This doesn't mean that she's a complete bad ass without human emotion, it's just that she's learned to compartmentalize away things that aren't useful at times. She has feelings, Doctor, but they're always elusive, like fish darting in a pond. You just need to know how to look beneath her still surface to see what's going on under the water's edge. Right now she's completely terrified of dying and of living because of the lasting effects that can happen to her. She's fiercely independent and any lessening of that independence, any extra dependence on anyone, will be devastating."

Maria's face was set in grim determination. "Then we'll just have to make certain that she keeps her independence."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Uphill Battle**_

Natalia stood in the doorway to Calleigh's ICU cubicle and took the scene in. Calleigh lay asleep still from the exhaustion and medication of the previous night's seizure. Eric had moved his chair next to the bed and he, too, was asleep, having fallen so after the Doctors left, his right hand holding Calleigh's left and his head resting on her abdomen. Her heart broke just a little as she watched them. It was obvious to anyone possessing sight that Eric loved Calleigh with all his heart. Whether or not Calleigh knew that or returned the affection was beyond Natalia's realm of knowledge. She was a much tougher nut to crack.

Moving to the bedside, Natalia gently shook Eric's shoulder. "Eric, wake up. Time for the next watch to take over."

Eric opened bleary eyes that had seen far too little sleep overnight. "What? Oh, hey, Talia. What time is it?"

She smiled at him in his boyish sleepiness. "10 am and you need to go home. I'll stay with her."

Fierce protectiveness burned inside him. "No, I can stay."

"Eric, you're almost completely dead on your feet. Go home. I'm staying with Calleigh," Natalia said sternly. "I can take care of her; I want to. Besides you need real sleep in a real bed. I promise I'll call you if anything happens. You're not going to do her any good if you exhaust yourself."

"You sound like Alexx," Eric said, stretching his back.

"Who do you think gave me the self-same argument for me to turn over my shift when Ryan comes to sit with her later?" She replied with a small smile. "Now go on home. I'll take good care of her."

"Talia, she had a seizure last night. They referred to it as a grand mal. It was bad. Her neurologist said to keep her completely calm since emotional distress or stress seem to be the trigger and she doesn't want Cal's brain to rewire itself into seizing every time she's under stress," Eric explained quietly. "No matter what, until this bacteria starts to be destroyed, she needs to stay as calm as humanly possible. Dr. Santos said that she could endure a couple more seizures before it becomes a permanent coping mechanism. I don't have to tell you how stressful it is to be a CSI or the amount of stress that Calleigh deals with on a daily basis as H's second. And, if she's inconsolable, like she was last night, and seizes, stay calm for her. The nurses have her monitored so they'll be in here in seconds and give her anti-seizure medication. She's still sleeping off last night's dose. It's very frightening to watch a seizure. She won't be in control of her body at all. She'll make choking sounds and shake and flop around like a fish on the docks. Let the nurses handle her."

"Eric, my youngest sister has Epilepsy, so I know how to handle a seizure," Natalia reminded him. "I promise that I'll keep watch over Calleigh and I'll call you with any updates as soon as they come in. Go on home, please."

"I'm just so-"

Natalia embraced Eric, trying to comfort him. "I know. I promise you that I won't leave her side for a second; not a second. Get some real rest and come back later."

Eric nodded, fighting his desire to stay. "Alright; but you'll call?"

"I'll call," Natalia said, taking Eric's seat and slipping her hand into Calleigh's. "Go."

Eric stepped to the head of the hospital bed, bent over and placed a light kiss on the sleeping woman's forehead. "Rest well, Querida. I'll see you later."

"Good bye, Eric and sleep. You're not doing anyone any good," she said as he left, reluctance in every step. She turned to the sleeping woman. "Calleigh, I really hope you know how much you mean to Eric. I think he just might love you with everything in him and if that's the case, you're one lucky woman. He's something special. But you know that."

Calleigh made a small noise and opened her eyes. It took a moment or two for her to come to enough wakefulness to be able to focus on Natalia's face. "Nat, hey."

Natalia smiled warmly at her. "Hey yourself. I know you just woke up, but how do you feel?"

Calleigh lay silent for a moment, ever the CSI evaluating evidence. "I hurt just about everywhere, but I'm feeling a little better. My headache is almost gone and I'm not nauseous anymore. But it's still far too bright in here." She coughed, causing her vitals to spike.

"You're feeling better, that means the antibiotics are working. That's good," she replied, having a difficult time understanding Calleigh's illness thickened accent.

"How long have you been here?" Calleigh asked.

"I just got here a few minutes ago. Eric stayed all night and I had orders to send him home," Natalia explained.

Calleigh smiled slightly. "Alexx. He stayed all night?"

"Yeah; it was like pulling teeth to get him to go home," she said, giving Calleigh's hand a slight squeeze. "You really mean a lot to him."

Calleigh nodded her agreement. "He means a lot to me, too."

"That's good to know," Natalia said, her smile wide and genuine. If Eric and Calleigh made each other happy, then she was overjoyed for the both of them. They both had already suffered so much that she wished, no demanded, happiness for then both.

Calleigh was silent for a while. "Natalia, did Eric tell you anything about last night? I think something happened, but I'm not sure if it really did or I dreamed it."

"What do you think you might have dreamed?" Natalia asked, knowing that sometimes when seizures happened a memory black out occurred.

She lay there, trying to collect the disjointed pieces of the previous night. "I'm not sure, but I think...I don't know. I might have..."

"Lost control of your body for a little while and it felt like you're watching somebody else? Natalia helped.

"That's exactly it!" Calleigh cried. "Did he say anything to you about last night?"

Natalia studied her colleague carefully before answering. She knew Calleigh long enough to know that honesty was the best approach. "He told me that you had a seizure and that it was tied to your emotional state. Calleigh, I know that you've got to be scared; you have every right to be. But the fact remains that if you don't want to have another seizure, you need to stay as calm as possible. If you don't, your brain is going to rewrite seizures as a way to deal with stress, and I know that you don't want any part of that."

Calleigh beat down rising fear. "If I stay calm I'll be alright?" she asked.

"If you can stay calm you can short circuit the link that equates stress and seizures. You can do this, Calleigh: I know you can," Natalia said confidently, giving her hand a little squeeze, although Calleigh's expression told her differently.

"I know I can; but it's hard," Calleigh admitted with an amount of difficulty, squeezing Natalia's hand back. "I don't know if I'll be just me or an altered me; one that has seizures or is paralyzed, deaf or blind. Don't you get it? This is huge!"

"Easy, Calleigh." Natalia coached."Yes, I get it, but no one said anything about anything just yet. Right now your doctors are working on getting you well with your best interests at heart. The rest is icing on the cake. Keeping yourself calm is something you can control right now. Don't give that up."

A small smile ghosted across Calleigh's lips as she knew that Natalia understood her fear completely. She suddenly remembered that Natalia had had her own control issues in the past; ones involving her late ex-husband and his battery of her. Calleigh realized that perhaps Natalia understood her more than she let on. "Okay. Nat, can I get a little water? I'm dying of thirst."

Natalia complied, pouring the cool liquid into a plastic cup and placing a bendy straw in it. She held the straw to Calleigh's lips and allowed the other woman to drink, smiling as Calleigh's eyes closed in pleasure at such a simple thing. She waited patiently for Calleigh to slake her thirst before putting the cup back on the nightstand. "Think you're going to keep it down?"

"Yeah. I think so." Calleigh shifted slightly. "Eric said that the team got a call out yesterday. How's the case going?"

"You really want to talk about a murder investigation?"

"It's better than dwelling on the ache in my lower back, so yeah," Calleigh said as Natalia began her detailed explanation of the case.

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Natalia hadn't told Calleigh much before she nodded back off, reminding the other woman just how sick she still was. Doctors came and went, sometimes speaking with her, sometimes just checking the monitors. Once a nurse woke Calleigh to test her reflexes. Calleigh didn't take kindly to it and if she had possessed the strength right then, she would have clocked the nurse hard. Finally, Dr. Louis and a woman that Natalia didn't recognize entered. Dr. Louis introduced the other woman as Dr. Santos.

"Has she been awake at all?" Dr. Santos asked, concerned that the patient was possibly having an adverse reaction to the anti-seizure medication.

"Yeah, she has; a couple of times," Natalia replied, liking this Dr. Santos. "She woke up just after Eric left and we talked a bit. Oh! And she drank some water and kept it down. She fell back to sleep after that. She woke up a couple more times and stayed up maybe ten or fifteen minutes each time."

Dr. Santos nodded. "That's good, then. Well, I think I'd like to meet my patient. How long has she been sleeping?"

Natalia checked her watch. "About two hours, I guess. You're not going to wake her up, are you? 'Cause the last person that did that got an earful."

"I'll take my chances," Dr. Santos said, sitting carefully on the bed. She leaned over and smoothed the hair away from Calleigh's forehead, whispering her name softly as she did so.

Calleigh's eyes fluttered open and she smiled slightly. "Nat, you're still here. I thought I'd wake up to Ryan."

"Calleigh, I'm not Natalia, I'm Dr. Santos," she replied, realizing that she and the CSI did bare more than a passing resemblance. "I'm a neurologist that Dr. Louis called in to help. I want to take a couple of tests and I need you awake for them, alright?"

As Calleigh's eyes began to focus more as the fog of sleep retreated, she noticed the differences between the doctor and Natalia. "I'm sorry, I just thought...You two look a lot alike. I'm sorry for being so confused."

"Calleigh, it's natural, luv,"Gabriel said soothingly. "You have a lot of medication running through you. I know we met under difficult circumstances, but do you remember me?"

"You're Alexx's friend, Doctor Louis," Calleigh said. She tried to scoot herself up a little and found that she couldn't. Natalia saw her distress and moved to the head of the bed, helping prop her up. "What kind of tests are you talking about?"

"I need to test your hearing and eyesight for starters," Dr. Santos told her, noting the keen intelligence in her patient's eyes, dulled only by the effects of her medication. "Then we'll work on co-ordination and reflexes, alright? If you get too tired, just tell me and we'll finish later."

"Alright," Calleigh replied and then yawned. "I'm sorry that I'm so tired."

"It's alright, we won't be long," Dr. Santos assured her. She began to check Calleigh's eyesight carefully, noting any and all movements of her eyes and the sharpness of her pupils, concerned over her hypersensitivity to light. She knew that it had to be a byproduct of the infection. She then began to test Calleigh's hearing, frowning slightly as a minor loss showed up.

"What is it?" Calleigh asked, reaching instinctively for Natalia's hand.

"I have some hearing loss. I can't tell if it's from the illness or was pre-existing. Do you work or live around loud percussive noises at all?"

Calleigh and Natalia shared a look. "I'm a firearms expert for the county crime lab. I'm on the firing range numerous times a day firing all manner of guns and rifles. I wear ear protectors-"

"How long have you been doing this job?" Dr. Santos asked.

"Twelve years in Miami and two in New Orleans."

"Then the damage has to be pre-existing," she said, pulling a small scope out of her pocket. "Let me take a look inside and see if I'm right."

Calleigh held perfectly still as the doctor put the tip of the lighted scope in her ear, revealing old scar tissue on the ear drum.

"You have old scar tissue. This is entirely pre-existing. Make sure you keep wearing those ear protectors from now on," She told Calleigh before holding out her hand. "Grab my hand and squeeze as hard as you can right now. I'm going to tell you that I know that you're normally stronger than it's going to seem. This meningitis tends to sap you of physical strength for a while. It'll come back in spades later. Go on, squeeze."

Calleigh grasped Dr. Santos' hand and squeezed for all she was worth and was rewarded with a pleased nod. Her other hand was tested before she was made to push against the Dr.'s hands as hard as she could. Again, another pleased nod.

"Alright, Calleigh, this is the last test for now. I'm going to put the bottom of your foot against my hand and I want you to push with everything you've got," Dr. Santos told her. Calleigh nodded and pushed. Very little happened. Frowning, Dr. Santos took the other foot and Calleigh pushed with the same result.

"I'm sorry," Calleigh whispered, knowing her legs were as weak as a new-born kitten's.

Dr. Santos placed Calleigh's legs back beneath the covers. "Don't worry about it. You're probably just a little too tired right now. We'll try again later after you've had a chance to rest up some more. You've done a lot today. Get some rest and I'll be back to see you later."

Calleigh looked crestfallen. "Sure."

Exchanging a look with both Natalia and Dr. Louis, she sat down on Calleigh's bed and took her hands. "Hey, you've picked up one of the nastiest bugs out there and it's doing it's thing on you. You're still very ill despite the fact that you're not throwing up continuously anymore. I didn't expect to get as much as I did out of you, sweetie. You're a real fighter, so I've been told and I can see that you are. You're a long way from well enough to walk out of here so don't expect too much of yourself right now, alright? With this bug it's an hour by hour thing, not day by day."

A single tear tracked it's way down Calleigh's cheek and Natalia shot to her side, concern for her friend's emotional state overriding everything else. "Calm, Calleigh; please. Take control of it."

"I'm trying," Calleigh whispered as Natalia sat next to her, taking her in her arms and soothing her like she would any of her own sisters. She noticed that Calleigh was still extremely warm with fever as she clung to her for comfort.

Knowing that this was now a private moment between two close friends, each doctor gave a nod, and quietly exited the room to the soft sound of Natalia's voice humming gently.


	6. Chapter 6

_**One Step Forward and Two Steps Back**_

Ryan gently shook Natalia's shoulder, not wanting her to startle and wake Calleigh, whose head rested comfortably on her other shoulder. "Natalia."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him before glancing down at Calleigh. She was out cold and had been for several hours. Slowly and gently she extricated herself out from under Calleigh and lead Ryan to the other side of the room. "Ryan, keep an eye on her, alright? She's had a rough day. She failed a couple of physical tests and it's really got her down. She'll probably try to put a brave face on it, but she's really upset. Keep her calm at all costs because if you can't-"

"Eric told me about the seizures," Ryan said, his gaze on his extremely ill friend. "I think I'm prepared; but how down is she?"

"You're going to need a personal appearance by the Three Stooges and the entire cast of Monty Python's Flying Circus to get her to laugh," Natalia said.

Ryan held out a book. "How about "The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Septic Tank" by Irma Bombeck?"

"That just might do, Ryan."

"It was the funniest book I could think of. When I had the flu last year, Calleigh came over probably more than she should have and made me laugh and read to me a lot. It's a miracle that she didn't come down with it herself. She even made me home made chicken soup. She was really great and I looked forward to her visits. Now, I know what she has is a million times worse than the flu and I don't think she can even keep chicken soup down, but I want to do for her what she did for me," Ryan explained.

"She'll appreciate it," Natalia said, gathering her things. "Just take good care of her, alright?"

"I'll do my best," Ryan said, sitting down and settling in for his stay. He opened his book and began to read, quickly getting drawn into the story, but remembering where he was and why.

Ryan looked up sharply when Calleigh began to make small distressed noises in her sleep. Her head was rolling back and forth across the pillow and a frown creased her forehead. He stood and walked to her bedside, leaning over to try and catch what she was saying.

"I'm cold, mama...please..." she whispered, her accent thick and heavy.

Ryan could see that she was shivering uncontrollably and her cheeks had flushed a bright red. Deeply concerned, he reached out and felt her forehead, jerking his hand back in surprise at the heat. Ryan backed up, eyes never leaving Calleigh, until he was in the hall. "Hey, I need help in here. She's burning up."

One nurse, a petite red-head, rose and shot past him, going directly to Calleigh and taking her temperature. "How long has she been this warm?"

Ryan felt helpless. "I don't know. I just got here a little while ago. The person before me didn't mention anything about Calleigh being feverish. What's going on?"

"Her fever is spiking and I can't tell why. Allison, get Dr. Louis now. I don't like this," the red-head, Anne, ordered. She hurried to the sink and soaked a rag in cold water and began to bathe Calleigh's face and neck. She glanced back at a motionless and stunned Ryan. "Get a couple more rags and a pan of lukewarm water and help me try to cool her down."

Ryan did as he was ordered and began to bathe Calleigh's limbs in the water all the while Calleigh tossed and turned, muttering and crying out. "What's happening?"

"Fever dreams. They can be very vivid and very unsettling. I've seen it before. I'm not terribly concerned about that; it's her temperature that worries me. We need to try and get it down before it fries her brain. It's bad enough that the meningitis is there, swelling the membranes around her brain, we don't need a high fever to make it worse," Anne explained as Dr. Louis ran in. She gave him a quick run down of the situation.

He frowned in concern. "I don't want to put any more drugs in her system at this point. Bring the portable hydrotherapy tub in here and fill it with cool water. We'll have to submerge her and try to cool her that way." Dr. Louis's gaze finally fell on Ryan as he frantically tried to cool Calleigh down. "Who are you?"

"Ryan Wolfe; I-I'm a friend," he said, only pausing in his ministrations long enough to reply. "I'd like to stay and help, if I can. She-she's important to me."

"Another CSI?" Dr. Louis asked as he, too, bathed Calleigh in the coolish water.

"Yeah, she pretty much trained me. The fact that she hasn't strapped a bullseye to my back and used me as a moving target by now is a miracle, seeing how much she yells at me when I screw up," Ryan said, eliciting a smile from the doctor.

"Well, Ryan, if you want to stay and help, I wouldn't say no, but we're not submerging her clothed, so if you think she might do permanent damage to you if she ever finds out that you saw her nude-"

About a hundred horrid ways that she could possibly make him die once she recovered and found out he'd seen her in her birthday suit flashed through his mind in a millisecond. "No, she wouldn't appreciate it at all. She'd appreciate the sentiment, but not the execution; which is what she'd do to me once she found out."

Dr. Louis chuckled appreciatively. "Alexx told me that Calleigh is feisty and can be a scrapper when the need arises."

"Did she tell you that she's stubborn and willful, too," Ryan asked.

"And that I need to watch out as she recovers because she's a real handful when she's feeling good. It's fine with me because I like a good, spirited patient," Dr. Louis finished as the tub was wheeled in. "It makes for excellent recoveries. You and I'll keep up the cool compresses while the ladies fill the tank with about a good foot of lukewarm water."

Yes, Doctor," Allison said using the adjoining bathroom's shower's spray attachment to fill the tub.

Anne took the unused bedpan and tried to help by filling it up at the sink and dumping it all in the tub. Within a few minutes the tub was filled with at least 12 inches full of water. Anne went to Calleigh, and, expertly leaning her forward, she untied the hospital gown.

Ryan backed up. "I think this is my exit cue. I'll call the team and let them know what's going on."

"A very wise idea," Dr. Louis said sagely, beginning to pick Calleigh up.

Ryan backed out of the room, but stayed well within ear shot as he hit Horatio on speed dial. "Yeah, H, it's Wolfe. Something's happening over here at the hospital. Calleigh's fever spiked and the doctor is doing a water immersion bath to try to bring her temperature down. He doesn't want to give her any more medication because he says that she's already so heavily medicated."

"This is not good," Horatio said, concern making his voice all the more gravelly.

"I think it might be wise to get Mr. Duquesne over here," Ryan said. "I'm not sure what the outcome is going to be. She's also having fever dreams and they don't sound like happy ones."

"Thank you, Ryan. I'll get Mr. Duquesne and as soon as the others come off crime scenes I'll tell them. Just keep me posted until I get there."

"Will do," Ryan said as he closed the connection and wandering back to Calleigh's doorway. He watched as Dr. Louis and the two nurses took care of Calleigh. Not only did they immerse her in the lukewarm water, but they gently bathed her face and neck with it, even going so far as to wet her head. To his surprise, they had actually retied her gown and left it on her.

Doctor Louis looked up at him. "We could use the help if you don't mind getting a little wet."

Ryan came forward, rolling up his sleeves. "What do you need me to do?"

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Ryan sat at Calleigh's bedside, continuing to bathe her face and neck with a cool cloth. "C'mon, Calleigh, fight it, please. If your temperature doesn't go down soon, they're going to throw you in the immersion bath again."

She muttered something and thrashed slightly as she fell into the grip of another too vivid fever dream. To help her body cool, the nurses had removed all the blankets from the bed, covering her only with a light sheet. Anne had pinned her heavy hair up off her neck.

"Mr. Wolfe, any change?" Horatio asked from behind him.

Ryan turned to see both Horatio and Mr. Duquesne in the doorway. "None so far. Dr. Louis said that if Calleigh's temperature hasn't started to go down by the time he checks in on her next, he wants to put her in another bath to see if he can get it to break. He's afraid to give her anything chemical and is wanting to try some alternative methods."

"Son, what the hell are you talking about?" Duke asked, looking far more haggard than he did the night before.

"Well, Dr. Louis is from Jamaica and he wants to try some island home remedies. He wants to try a tea of the petals and leaves of the borage plant. It's supposed to induce sweating, which then cools the body off. It's an old French remedy for high fevers. Calleigh stopped vomiting, so she really has a chance of keeping it down long enough for it to work. Even though I have no say in it I'm willing to let him try. Anything is better than this."

Ryan broke off as Calleigh let out a loud cry and thrashed violently. Duke immediately went to her side and took over from Ryan. "I'm here, Lambchop; Daddy's here, Daddy's here. Hush my angel; just rest now."

Horatio and Ryan watched as Duke's touch and voice seemed to soothe their grievously ill friend. She slowly calmed and finally lay in what appeared to be, peaceful sleep. She mumbled incoherently and then sighed, relaxing completely.

"Is she in any pain at all?" Horatio asked, shaken by what he had just witnessed.

Ryan shook his head. "Some, but it's the side effect of having meningitis. I looked it up last night. She should be experiencing back and neck pain and something of a headache. That's due to the swelling in her meninges, the tissue surrounding her brain. It's pressing on the base of the spinal cord, causing the sensation of pain. Other than that she should just be physically sapped of strength and want to sleep for prolonged periods of time. The nausea and severe cramping of the abdominal muscles have stopped. One of the meds she's been given stops that. I can't remember which one, though."

"I'm rather glad that you're OCD right now, Ryan," Horatio said, relieved to have at least an armchair assessment at his fingertips without bothering Alexx all the time.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't sleep last night and I thought I'd look it up. This thing is scary, Horatio," Ryan said, both basking in, yet uncomfortable with, the praise. "It usually kills most people it infects. But Alexx wasn't just trying to make us all feel better when she said that Calleigh got help early. Most vics don't get diagnosed until they're too far gone for anything to help them. It's usually 36 hours or more into them being symptomatic and Calleigh got help almost immediately. I'm clinging to that because right now I'm scared that we're going to lose her."

Horatio's voice was soft as his cell vibrated on his belt, signaling that someone from the team had arrived. "So am I...so am I."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures**_

"If you think it might work, Doc, then let's give it a try," Kenwall said, still bathing his daughter's face and neck with a cool cloth. "I'm willing to try just about anything to get this fever to break."

"The tea will be ready shortly," Gabe said. "It's been known to be the only thing that will break a stubborn fever. My grandmother swore by it."

"A good bowl of extra spicy bayou gumbo does the trick back home," Kenwall said, "But, somehow, I don't think that's recommended, considering she was throwing up almost non-stop yesterday."

"It's the same concept. The spice induces sweating, which is the body's natural cooling mechanism," Gabe commented as he strode out of the room. He stopped at the nurses' station and checked his tea.

"Is there any change, Doctor?" Horatio asked quietly.

Gabe shook his head. "None. The fever is still high. Mr. Duquesne consented for us to try the tea to get it to go down. I'm honestly out of ideas if it doesn't work."

"How many doses does it usually take?" Horatio asked, a frown of worry creasing his face. He stifled a yawn, not having slept much the night before. He had been too worried about his second in command; his dear and precious friend.

"One, perhaps two doses. I've never had to go for more than three. I want to pair it with another immersion bath to see if it works more effectively," Dr. Louis said, testing the flavor of the tea and nodding in satisfaction. He picked up the cup and carried it back into Calleigh's room. "Mr. Duquesne, can you wake her up, please?"

Horatio followed, wanting, needing to see Calleigh for himself. He leaned in the doorway and watched the interaction.

Kenwall nodded and gently shook his daughter's shoulder. "Lambchop, time to get up." She mumbled incoherently and rolled on her side. "No, you have to get up now, Calleigh. You have to take some medicine."

"Not now, daddy. I just want to sleep," she drawled softly.

Kenwall couldn't help a small smile. He was reminded of how she was as a little girl. He put his arms under her and forced her to sit up, disturbed at how hot her skin felt. "Yes, now, baby. You won't get any better if you don't take it."

Calleigh opened sleepy eyes that had an unhealthy brightness to them and glared. "Why do I smell tea?"

"That's because that's your medicine," Dr. Louis said, handing her father the cup. "I want to try some natural remedies to compliment the traditional Western medicine. Calleigh, your fever is too high and I'm very reluctant to put more chemicals in you because I don't want any adverse interactions. This is borage tea which has been used for centuries to break fevers. Drink the whole cup."

"It's going to taste terrible, isn't it?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "No, it doesn't. It tastes like cucumber."

Giving him a skeptical look, she took her first sip. "This isn't bad."

Dr. Louis nodded at her, smiling. "I want you to drink it all. You can go back to sleep afterward."

Overcome by thirst, Calleigh quickly drained the entire cup, handing it back to her father. She looked past him and noticed Horatio in the doorway. Even though her attention span was dulled by the illness, she could still see the guilt in his eyes. "That wasn't too bad, after all. It would be better cold. Dad, can I have a little time with Horatio before I fall back to sleep?"

Kenwall looked from his daughter to Horatio and back again, certain that something was going on under the surface. He just wasn't sure what it was. "Sure."

She pat the bed. "Come here." Horatio did as requested and stood at her bedside. "I can see the guilt in your eyes. I'm not blaming you for my getting sick so stop blaming yourself. It was an accident."

Horatio took her trembling hands and sat down. "I do blame myself because I shouldn't have taken you out there with me. I was going to take Eric but I changed my mind because I missed talking with you. I was being selfish and now you're paying for it."

"That's a load of bull and you know it. What's past is past," she said shifting and letting out a low moan as her fevered muscles protested the movement. "I fell in and that's it. It could have happened any time I went to the 'Glades for an evidence hunt, so just stop it."

"I just can't get past-"

"Figure out how," she said, her shivering becoming more pronounced as she used precious energy to help salve Horatio's conscience.

"Okay," he whispered in an attempt to soothe her. He helped her lay back down, hating the extreme body heat radiating off of her. "Just rest now, sweetheart. Go back to sleep; I'll be back to check on you later."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Calleigh couldn't be certain, but as she drifted back off, she thought she felt someone press a soft kiss to her forehead. Whether it was Horatio or her dad or the man in the moon, she didn't know and was too tired to open her eyes and find out.

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Eric rubbed at his face as Horatio described what had happened and couldn't shake the irrational thought that if he had stayed her fever wouldn't have spiked. He knew it was foolish to think that way, but the worry just wouldn't stop.

"Doctor Louis wants to try another immersion bath in about an hour to see if that will help any," Horatio said as his phone vibrated on his belt. He walked a short distance and answered it.

Eric leaned heavily against the wall and watched Ryan pace uncomfortably, glancing every now and then over at the darkened doorway to Calleigh's room. Once Horatio had left, Calleigh's dad had gone back in to find her fast asleep once again. He chose to sit with her for a while as she slept and, hopefully, the tea did some good. None of the CSI's wanted to interrupt or interfere with the positive father/daughter interaction, all knowing that they had had far too little of that in their lives. So, instead, they paced like expectant fathers not allowed into the delivery room.

"I'm going for some coffee," Ryan said suddenly. "You want some?"

"Yeah," Eric replied. "Listen, Ryan, how bad is she? I mean I haven't seen her yet today so I don't know."

"She's bad, man. The fever dreams are the worst. She sounds and looks like she's having the worst nightmares of her life. I just hope the fever goes down sometime soon. Dr. Louis is worried that it might affect her brain," Ryan said softly.

Eric felt the strength go out of his legs and he sat down hard. Not Calleigh; not his Calleigh. Brain damage was something he knew plenty about, having been shot in the head. "Oh, God."

"I'm just praying that the fever goes down soon," Ryan said, sitting next to him. "Just keep hoping that everything will turn out for the best and we'll have her riding herd on us in a little while again."

"Yeah," Eric said with no real emotion. He was stunned into a numbness born of extreme shock. He knew that Calleigh was very seriously ill, but it never occurred to him just ill. He had fallen in so deep that he didn't notice the latest arrival nor heard her speaking to him.

"Eric, baby, where are you?" Alexx said softly, putting her arms around him and holding him close.

Her gentle ministrations finally broke through his shock and he looked over at her, his pain evident in his eyes. "Alexx, when did you get here?"

"Not too long ago, honey. What's wrong?"

Eric poured everything out to her, watching her impassive physician's face for any clue at how afraid he should be at the moment. She played her cards close and, as he spoke, began to get a clear picture of what Calleigh was facing, and, all of them by extension. "How long has she had the high fever?"

"A couple of hours, I think. They've already tried bathing her, but nothing happened. Dr. Louis gave her some kind of tea that's supposed to break fevers. If nothing happens, he's going to bathe her again to try to get the fever to break," Eric said. He looked pleadingly at her. "How long before she suffers some kind of brain damage if her fever doesn't go down?"

"It'll take a while longer and as long as she's being kept cool, she should have a good chance of it breaking on it's own. Gabe gave her borage tea. He gave the same thing to me when I caught the flu in medical school. It works, Eric. You just have to give it a chance," Alexx said soothingly. "Why don't you-"

"I'm not leaving her again. There's no argument, Alexx. I don't care how tired I get or how hungry. I can't leave again because every time I do, something terrible happens and if-"

Alexx's eyes welled and she pulled him to her again, comforting, soothing, "It's okay. You stay as long as you want. I'll go down to the cafeteria and get something for you."

"Ryan went to get coffee," Eric said into her shoulder, clinging to her as if she were his lifeline.

"Baby, you know you have to eat something and I know that you haven't because I know you, Eric. When you worry, you don't eat," Alexx scolded gently, extricating herself from his grip and standing up. At the moment, she was more concerned about Eric's welfare than Calleigh's. He was within inches of breaking down completely. "I'll bring you some soup or a sandwich. You have to eat. I won't be long."

Alexx was as good as her word and she returned a few minutes later with a container of soup and half a sandwich. She didn't think that she'd be able to get him to eat even that much, but she knew she needed to try. She sat next to him and practically fed him as he sat numbly staring at Calleigh's doorway. Movement from her left caused her to look over and see Gabe checking in at the nurses' station and then entering Calleigh's room. A few minutes later, Duke exited and approached.

"There's no movement with the fever. It's still at 105.4. The doctor is going to try another bath and has more tea. Dr. Woods, is he just blowing hopeful smoke in our faces with that tea?" Duke asked.

"No, it's real. Sometimes it takes a few cups for it to work. It's an herb, not magic. Let me go and talk to him," Alexx said, eying Eric as he listlessly ate.

"Good enough. Thank you, Dr. Woods," Duke said as he sat down across from Eric. He looked the younger man over, noting the deep worry and fear cloaking the normally smiling man. He hadn't had much interaction with him, but Calleigh spoke so highly of him and so warmly about him that he knew that those two were close and there had to be deep feelings between them. Duke could see that he was right. This man had his daughter's complete trust and that was a great deal. "You care a lot about my daughter, don't you, young man?"

Eric looked over at him. "Yes, sir, I do. She means...she means the world to me."

Duke nodded sagely, then surprised Eric by saying, "You love her."

"What? I, uhm, well, I-"

"You either do or don't, son, and I think you do," Duke said with a frightening degree of perception. "Just be honest with me. I won't give it away to her if you do. That's for you to tell her, not me."

Eric regarded him, realizing where Calleigh got her keen intelligence and sharp perceptive skills from. "I'll be honest, sir, and I hope you approve because I do. I love her; I'm trying to find the right time to tell her."

"I'll be honest with you, too. You're not what I pictured for her. You're Cuban and not...old habits die hard and I spent a long time in my life being judgmental about the color of peoples' skin or their ethnicity. I had to get over that when I became a public defender because not all my clients were going to look like me. Hell, the vast majority of them don't and I've learned to value what was inside the person and not pay much attention to the packaging. Calleigh is really the one that taught me that. She taught me the hard way and suffered some for it, but I've learned well and if she loves you back and you make her happy, well, then I can't do anything but approve. Tell her soon, son."

"You think she's going to-"

"No, nothing like that. She's bad right now and I don't know what the future holds, but if she knows how you feel then maybe it'll help to light a fire under her and get some more fight into her," Duke said, leaning back in his chair.

"Eric," Alexx said, coming to sit down by the men, "Gabe is ready to immerse her again and wants to know if you'd like to give him a hand. Rachel broke her wrist and she's not going to be much help."

His eyes lit up at the chance to take action. "Thanks Alexx."


	8. Chapter 8

**Two words of warning: Tissue Alert.**

**Thanks to everyone that's been reviewing. You keep me going. However, I have a note to ask for some patience. Writing about Calleigh's illness has been mildly prophetic as I now am sick, though not as horribly as Calleigh. Just a spring cold, probably, so I'm going to be hoarding my resources for a few days and probably not writing as much. It'll pass. Thanks all and please enjoy.**

_**Keep Fighting For All You're Worth**_

"What are we going to do, Doctor?" Eric asked, entering the ICU cubicle.

Gabe looked over at the young man, seeing exactly what Alexx had told him. This man was terrified for the woman in the bed. He needed to do something, anything, instead of just sitting in a waiting room. "Last time we did this there were four of us and Calleigh was unconscious. We only have three of us and I want her awake and participatory. Once we finish the bath I need her to have some more tea. I expect the fever to break soon."

"I'll wake her, then," Eric said, going to Calleigh's bedside and softly calling her name, rubbing her arm gently.

She mumbled and shifted, letting out a soft cry at her body's discomfort. "What?"

"I said that the doctor needs you to get up for a little while," Eric said gently.

She shifted again, wincing. "Can we do this later?"

Gabe stroked her hair. "No, luv, I'm afraid not. We have to get that stubborn fever of yours down. I've paged Dr. Santos and she'll be here to monitor you while you take a nice bath."

"I don't need a bath; I'm clean. I just want to sleep."

"Calleigh, this is for your own good. Now stop fussing and let us help you," Eric said, becoming slightly exasperated with her. If he thought she was stubborn when she was well, she was ten times worse while sick.

"You, Eric Delko, are not going to bathe me. Not if you value your manhood, you won't," Calleigh threatened, at the moment only a paper tiger.

"Cal, it's an immersion bath to break your fever. It's not like I'm going to be scrubbing your back and nibbling on your earlobes," Eric replied, glad to see the feisty spark back in her eyes. "I'm just here to help."

She looked to Gabe for confirmation and he nodded. "Fine."

"Mr. Delko, if you could pick her up and put her in the water, we can get started. There's no need to remove the gown. I have several available for her to change into," Gabe said as Dr. Santos entered.

"Don't start the party without me," she said with a smile. "How do you feel, Calleigh?"

"I'm cold and my body feels like I've been hit by a truck. How about you?" Calleigh sassed, showing her normal, yet forced, spiritedness.

"You're sure feisty this evening. That's good to see," Maria commented with pleasure, watching Eric lower Calleigh into the tub of slightly, pleasantly, warm water. "I'm fine, by the way."

"What are you trying to do, freeze me to death? This water is cold!" Calleigh cried, hanging onto Eric, thrashing, threatening to drag him in with her.

"Calleigh, the water is warm," Eric said, trying to extricate himself from her grip. "Just try and relax, alright?"

She nodded, letting him go. Calleigh tried to stay still as he and Gabe took cupfuls of water and gently poured them over her but she found it hard to do. The water felt so cold to her that she started shivering again. "Can I get out? Please?" she pleaded.

"Not yet, Calleigh," Gabe said as he wet her head. He signaled to Maria to get him some warmer water. He added it carefully, allowing it to cascade over Calleigh first, hoping that it wouldn't feel like ice water to her. He needed that fever to break. "For this to be therapeutic you have to be in the water for at least a good 20 minutes. You haven't been in for more than five."

"It's too cold. I want to get out; please let me out," she whimpered, clinging to Eric's arm. "Please."

"I can't do that, Calleigh. I want you to get well," Eric replied soothingly, yet his voice was firm. He had never heard Calleigh plead before and it tore at his heart.

She fought with her weakened limbs to draw her knees up to her chest and began to cry, not having the strength to stop herself. Eric leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, trying to soothe her as best he could while still keeping her in the water. "Just a little while longer, Cal. I promise it won't be that bad. Calm down now, Querida, and let us help you."

Doctor Santos bent over, peering into Calleigh's fever bright eyes for any signs of seizure. She let out a sigh of relief when she could see none. "So far so good; she's still stable."

"You hear that? No seizures, Cal," Eric said encouragingly as Calleigh clung to him. "Now just let go and let us help you get rid of that fever."

"Please let me out; I want to get out. I'm so cold; please," she sobbed into Eric's arm. "I'll do anything. Please, Eric, help me."

Eric tightened his grip on her and placed several small kisses in her hair. "I know it feels like we're torturing you, but you'll be glad we did this when your fever breaks. Just a little longer. Take it easy."

Gabe shook his head when Eric looked up at him, his eyes pleading for her. "Not yet. I want to make sure this is therapeutic and not just a form of torture for her. Calleigh, luv, it'll get better. I'm Alexx's friend and you trust me, don't you?"

"No, you're hurting me; freezing me to death," she sobbed, burying her face in Eric's arm. "Let me out."

Gabe turned to Maria. "Go get Alexx. Maybe she can help out, here. Calleigh needs to stay in that water and she's nearly half out."

Eric didn't realize how far out of the water Calleigh had pulled herself and disengaged her long enough for her to slide back in all the way. She let out a panicked, pained cry and reached for him. He had had enough of watching her suffer without doing anything about it and began to disrobe. Once down to his boxers, he climbed in the tub with her to help hold her in. He slid down into the pleasantly warm water until only his head and knees poked through the surface and drew her to him. She lay against him, more submerged than she had been before, and sobbed miserably.

"I want to get out, Eric; please get me out," she cried, burying her face in his neck.

This is what Alexx walked in on and it broke her heart. Blinking back tears of her own, she gently stroked Calleigh's damp hair. "Baby, we can't let you get out just yet. Stay in there with Eric. He needs you to stay with him. He's scared for you. You can do that, can't you? He needs you."

Calleigh nodded even though she continued to sob. "I'll stay, but I'm so cold. He needs me. I can stay. I love him with all my heart, Alexx. I don't want him to be scared. I'll be scared for the both of us."

Eric's eyes closed briefly, knowing that Calleigh didn't lie, fever be damned, ever. He hugged her closer. "I love you with all my heart, too, Calleigh, and I need you to stay with me. I don't want to be scared."

Maria wiped her eyes, touched deeply by people she hardly knew. _There was some great, earth-shattering love story there_. "Gabe, it's been almost half an hour. Maybe they should get out," she squeaked, heart going out to her frightened, terribly ill patient.

"A little longer now that he's gotten her all the way in. We lost time with her trying to climb out. Besides, she seems to be calming now and getting her out and dry is going to be traumatic. She's going to be freezing cold all over again," Gabe said reasonably. "Alexx, can you stay and help her get out of that wet gown and into a dry one? Once she'd back in bed I want to give her some more tea. I'll make it warm even though she already said that having it cold would taste better. Maybe this will do the trick."

"Sure I will," Alexx said, her gaze resting on Eric and Calleigh so intimately, yet innocently, entwined, having declared their love for each other. Calleigh was crying softly while Eric just held her, soothing her with his touch, his own eyes moist. If it wasn't for the medical emergency of the moment, she'd feel like she was intruding. She could count on one hand how many times over the years that she had seen Calleigh cry and she knew that if it weren't for the monumental illness the woman was entangled in, she'd never have let anyone see her that raw and open. She would have never declared publicly her love for Eric. It was too intensely personal and private a thing.

Alexx reached out toward them, attempting to soothe them both and was rewarded with a tender smile from Eric. Happiness and sadness shone in his eyes; happiness that he knew that Calleigh loved him back and sadness in knowing that he could still lose her. Alexx placed a loving, motherly kiss in Eric's damp hair. "She loves you," she whispered for only him.

Gabriel broke the moment. "Let's get her out."

Alexx grabbed a fluffy, soft towel and drew Calleigh out of Eric's arms. Calleigh fought her at first as the cool air of the hospital room hit her and she began to shake from the cold. Gradually she stopped, knowing that Alexx was only trying to help her. Alexx wrapped her in the towel and embraced her, rubbing her back and arms, trying to generate warmth. When Calleigh began to still the shivering, Alexx helped her to remove the soaked hospital gown and dry off, placing a new, soft and dry one back on her. She returned Calleigh to Eric's arms and helped settle them both back into the hospital bed.

Eric cuddled Calleigh's burning frame close to him, unwilling to part from her for a second. What he had just witnessed had scared the living hell out of him and vowed not to leave her side until forced to. Gabe handed him the cup of tea and Eric tenderly fed her the brew little by little until the cup was drained and she drifted into an exhausted slumber.

"I think that this is a good thing right now. She's calm and content and he can soothe her easily," Gabe said, his tiredness evident.

"Go home, honey, I'll stay here," Alexx offered.

"Alexx, you have your own family," Maria said.

"Mar, sometimes this family has to take precedence. David understands; he always does. It doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, he and the kids make allowances," Alexx said, settling into the chair at Calleigh's bedside. She looked over and Calleigh was already sound asleep and she could see that Eric wasn't far behind. "I'll take good care of them while you get proper rest. Go; I promise to call the minute something out of my realm happens."

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It was too hot and Calleigh, in her sleep, made to push away the heated object that pressed too close to her. She was sweating profusely, her hair matted to her head by the sheer amount of perspiration that poured off of her. However, she couldn't get it away from her because it just kept holding on and she was still far too weak to fight with it. "Quit it; get off me," she said softly, whimpering slightly.

Eric opened his eyes and realized that one whole part of him, the side that had held Calleigh close as they slept, was soaking wet. She was pushing against him, struggling. At first he didn't understand, but as he came to full wakefulness, he realized that she was soaked in perspiration and was too warm with him holding her. He released her and sat up a little, noticing Alexx reclined in a chair, sleeping. "Alexx, Alexx, I think her fever broke," he whispered hoarsely.

Alexx stirred and woke quickly. She stood and approached the bedside, reaching out and touching Calleigh's damp and cooled skin. "Oh thank God. She's still out so why don't you help me dry her off? She can't possibly be comfortable like that."

Eric slid himself out from under Calleigh's slight weight and helped towel her off. While he changed into a clean and dry set of scrubs, he watched Alexx tenderly bathe Calleigh with some warm water and soft cloths, soothing her further; making her comfortable. He picked Calleigh up and cradled her in his lap as Alexx alerted the nurses and they changed the wet sheets for dry ones. Once they had finished, he placed Calleigh back in the bed while Alexx called Gabe and Maria to let them know the latest news.

"Eric, why don't you go home and get some rest, baby?" Alexx asked, seeing how tired he was. "It's still early. I'll stay with her."

Eric slid back into Calleigh's hospital bed and took her in his arms. "No way. I'm not going anywhere right now."

"Eric, you can't keep her from-"

"I'm staying until they throw me out. I'm not leaving her side again," Eric said stubbornly, fierce protectiveness evident in his tired voice.

"Alright, baby, I won't fight with you, but they will make you leave once she's examined," Alexx explained. "Until then, why don't you try to go back to sleep for a while? I'm going to call Horatio and let him know the good news."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Revelations and Complications**_

When Calleigh finally woke up, she found herself alone in her bed, and, for the first time she could remember since being admitted, comfortable for the most part. She still hurt everywhere, but didn't feel feverish. She rubbed her face on the fresh smelling pillow and cracked her eyes open. It still seemed really bright in the room to her, but not as painfully so. With a mild groan as her body vehemently protested her motion, she rolled onto her back, stretching her arms over her head.

"Good afternoon, Calleigh," Alexx said, smiling tiredly at her. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd be coming around. You sure had a work out yesterday."

"Did I dream that I was in cold water and Eric was there, or did that actually happen?" she asked, brow wrinkling in concentration.

"You were. Your fever spiked alarmingly and we had to get it down. Gabe gave you a couple of immersion baths. You didn't like them and nearly pulled yourself out, complaining that the water was too cold. Eric had to get in with you to keep you there," Alexx explained, pulling her chair closer to the bed. "You were a real handful, alright. Eric had to hold you and get right on in. The water really was warm, by the way."

Disjointed snatches of memory flashed across her mind's eye. She could remember being painfully cold and Eric putting her in water. Feelings of upset and panic washed over her and then she remembered Eric's arms around her, soothing and loving. "He held me the whole time, didn't he?"

"He did, baby. You were so upset and frightened that he couldn't stand it," Alexx said. "I know high fevers do funny things to memory so do you remember telling him anything or saying something to him? This is really important because I think he's going to expect you to remember it."

Calleigh lay perfectly still, searching her fever addled memory for the right information, her eyes widening as she found it. "I didn't, did I? And he said...oh. no. I never wanted...I mean if he didn't..."

"You did and he did and I think he's on cloud nine knowing what he does. Despite how and when it came out, he's a very worried, but very happy man today. Calleigh, don't tell me that it was all fever talk because it'll crush him," Alexx said, seeing the alarmed look on Calleigh's face. "He loves you with all his heart and has for a long time."

Tears glistened in her eyes. "I do, just, well, wasn't sure how...and if he even...but I guess he does, huh?"

"Mmm-hmn. Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you want me to get you something?" Alexx asked, changing the subject to something she knew Calleigh would be more comfortable with.

"Water, please? I'm not hungry, I think. Besides, won't I throw it up?" Calleigh said, glad she was on safer ground. The revelation was overwhelming and she was going to need time to process it.

"I don't think so. Let's try a little broth and maybe some gelatin," Alexx said, holding the cup of water to Calleigh's parched and cracked lips.

Calleigh took the straw between her lips and drank thirstily. Her mouth had been so dry. "Okay, let's give it a try." She yawned. "Oh my, I can't believe I'm so tired."

"Just lay down and take a nap. I'll get that broth and gelatin for you. Your fever broke, but you still have a lot of healing to do and resting and doing exactly what the doctors tell you will go a long way," Alexx told her with a small smile.

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"Hey, Wolfe, wait up," Jake called as he jogged up to the CSI. "How's Calleigh doing? The hospital wouldn't tell me anything."

Ryan suppressed a growl as he regarded the Homicide detective. "Some boyfriend you are. Where the hell have you been? We almost lost her. She probably really needed you and you weren't there. Don't worry, _WE_ took care of her."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Calleigh and I broke up right before she got sick; you mean she didn't tell you? That's why the hospital wouldn't tell me anything. We're not connected anymore," Jake explained before realizing that she wouldn't have had much time to say anything to anyone. "So, I'm asking as her ex and somebody who will always care for her, what went on? You said you almost lost her."

Ryan sighed, regarding Jake for a while. "She's extremely ill, Berkeley. She's already had one seizure and can have more. Over the last two days her fever spiked alarmingly and she could have died. Luckily, her doctors, Eric and Alexx, were able to get her fever to an almost normal temperature. She's still not in the clear until the infection is gone completely, and that's going to be quite a while; probably a good month. She's still in ICU and has around the clock monitoring. We could still lose her."

Jake ran his hand through his unruly mop of hair. "I didn't know any of that. Do you think if I talked to her doctor, he'd let me see her? I won't upset her, I just want to let her know that I care and want her well no matter how it turned out between us."

"I think that might be able to be arranged," Ryan said, feeling bad for the guy. He knew, firsthand, how easy it was for anyone to be a little bit in love with Calleigh. "I'll talk to Dr. Louis and see what he thinks."

Jake ghosted a smile at him. "Thanks, Wolfe. I owe you one."

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"Calleigh...Calleigh," Ryan said softly at her bedside. "Calleigh."

She stirred and opened her eyes, still slightly bright with fever, but it was a low-grade one and one that was completely normal, given the circumstances. She smiled up at him. "Hey, Ryan. Is it your turn, now?"

"Yeah, listen, Calleigh, I have someone with me that would really like to see you but hasn't been allowed near ICU or given any information about how you are because he's not family," Ryan said in a jumble. "Now if you don't want to see him, he'll understand but-"

"What are you talking about, Ryan?" she asked.

"Jake wants to see you; is that okay?" he said simply.

She didn't hesitate for a second. "Yeah, that's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"He said you two broke it off. I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm the one that broke it off with him. It was gentle and sad but not anywhere near a screaming match. In the end, I think he was hurting more than I was. He can come in."

Ryan waved Jake in and then stepped out, knowing that there would be holy hell to pay if the nurses caught two of them in there without it being a request of the doctor's. He did, however, stand close enough so that he could hear if Calleigh sounded distressed at any time.

Jake cautiously approached the bed as Calleigh raised the head into more of a sitting position. He was entirely unprepared for just how ill, fragile and tired she looked, not to mention how many tubes and machines she was still hooked up to. "Hey."

"Hey," she echoed. "You can come closer; I'm not contagious."

Jake let out a small, uncomfortable laugh and moved to her bedside. "I guess asking how you're feeling is a pretty dumb question."

She gave him a soft smile. "I'm better than I was when I was brought in. That's something."

"Yeah, that's something," Jake said, still horribly uncomfortable. He had wanted to see her so badly but now that he saw her, he didn't know what to say or how to behave. He knew that he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her, but he just as clearly knew that that was now completely inappropriate.

Calleigh watched him carefully for a moment. "What is it, Jake?"

He decided for the direct approach. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say."

"How about you just start taking and we take it from there?" she suggested with a gentle smile. She knew that the first time she had a personal non-work related interaction with him that it was going to be difficult. She just never counted on her being in a hospital bed being overrun by a deadly disease when it happened. She could see that Jake was trying his best not to upset or overtax her and that this visit was probably harder on him than on her.

"What I want to do is take you in my arms and hold you but I know that that isn't an option," Jake said truthfully. "So, what is?"

"I don't know. Why don't you pull up that chair over there and tell me about what's going on outside?" she said. "I can't see the outside from here. What's it doing out there? Is it sunny like always?"

Jake pulled the chair up next to the bed_. She wanted a weather report? She could die and wanted a weather report_? "No, it's raining today. It's a real good soaker just like you like. There's even a bit of thunder. You can't hear that in here?"

"No, I can't," Calleigh said, leaning her head back on her pillow and closing her eyes, imagining the gentle Florida thunderstorm outside. Anything shy of a hurricane was considered gentle. "We're too far inside the hospital."

"Calleigh, how sick are you?" Jake asked suddenly. "I don't want to upset you, but no one is really telling me anything. Wolfe has been the only one to give me part of the picture and what he told me scared me."

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry. That's not fair," Calleigh said, voice full of compassion. "You should know. The hospital has policies, but I think the team is just trying to protect me. They don't like you much, but I think you know that and I know you want the truth. You deserve nothing less. I have Primary Amoebic Meningitis, which has killed most of the people it's infected. They've been mostly little kids. The only reason that anyone thinks that I'll make it through this, and no one is even more than 60 percent sure, is because of Alexx and Eric making me get medical help so fast after I started to get sick. I've had at least two complications already and...I could have more."

Jake watched her face as she spoke, the seriousness of her words sinking in and frightening him further. But at least he knew. He could see her eyes welling with tears. He rose from the chair and sat on her bed, taking her hand, physical boundaries forgotten. She had to be completely terrified and the calmness that she seemed to face the illness was amazing. "Okay, that's enough; I have the big picture. Take it easy. Please don't get upset. That's the last thing I want to do to you."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I know."

"You gotta be scared," he said, still holding her hand.

"Yeah, I mean-" she broke off with a fit of coughing, wincing, holding her abdomen.

Jake began to panic. "Calleigh, what is it? Should I get someone?"

Still holding her aching muscles, she shook her head. "No, I'm fine. This thing makes your whole body hurt. I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Jake, I spent the first day of this thing doing nothing but throwing up. My stomach muscles hurt like hell. As far as I know, it's normal."

"Okay," unable to stop himself, he reached out and smoothed a lock of hair away from her face, a too intimate gesture, he knew. "I'm going to go so you can rest. I'll send Wolfe back in."

She nodded, eyes tired. "Okay. Jake, you don't have to stay away. I'll go upside they guys' heads and get them to knock it off."

"Alright. You rest well and I'll see you."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey all. Once again, thanks for all the reviews. In this fic, as in life, nothing can be simple. 'Nuff said.**

**Thanks for all the well wishes on my health. It's not a spring cold, but the flu, one of the 60 percent that wasn't covered by the flu shot last fall. So, while I might feel completely gross, as long as I do what the doc says, I'll be on my feet in no time. The upside of this is I have a lot of time, in between naps, to write.**

**Yes, this chapter is short, but I broke it up for a reason.**

_**Deep Into the Woods**_

Calleigh slept away Ryan's shift and Horatio's as well and the full impact of just how ill she was began to dawn on the team as a whole. The initial activity and the subsequent success with her fever spike had given everyone a false sense of hope that things would be resolved soon and that she'd be out of the hospital and back at the Lab in just a short time.

Horatio dragged himself into the Lab after yet another set of hours sitting at the bedside of his unconscious team member. It had been his third such time with no change in her. He sighed as he opened the big glass doors and approached Reception. "Good morning, Gloria," he said, greeting the receptionist.

"Good morning, sir. How's Calleigh today?" she asked cheerfully, hoping the dour expression on the Lt.'s face only signaled tiredness.

"No change."

Gloria's usually cheerful demeanor dipped some. "I'm sorry to hear that. I miss her. I'm sure she'll make an upturn soon."

"I hope so, Gloria. I hope so," Horatio said and turned, eyes landing on just the precisely wrong person.

"Horatio," Rick began as he closed the distance between them, not happy with what he saw. Horatio looked exhausted and demoralized; not the way one needed to be to protect the people of Miami. "You really shouldn't be here."

"Now why would that be, Rick?" Horatio asked in a testy voice, absently playing with his sunglasses.

"Because you're exhausted and that makes you overreact. I've seen it before. Go home before we get slapped with some sort of lawsuit," Rick said.

"I can still do my job and I'm here to do precisely that," Horatio countered. "And I will not overreact, as you put it."

"That's not why I'm here. Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I know the Lab is working one CSI short and will be for the foreseeable future, so I asked the Chief to pull Michaels off nights to replace Duquesne," Rick said, truly only meaning to help. He had never realized how completely entwined the well-being of the team as a whole was with each individual's circumstance. They almost could be considered a single organism. He figured that was why they had such a solve rating, second only to the Las Vegas Lab.

Stetler couldn't have used a more unfortunate choice of words. Horatio barely restrained his temper. "Calleigh cannot be replaced, Rick and I don't need you to try and manipulate my team by putting in temporary replacements of your own. Calleigh will have her job here when she is well enough to come back. Do you understand me?"

"Horatio, I didn't mean anything by it. Not everything that I do concerning the Lab is to pick apart it's members. I know that she's hospitalized and will be there for a while so I was only trying to bump your numbers so no one has to strain," Rick said and then did something that Horatio never expected. He put a sympathetic hand on Horatio's shoulder. "Despite the fact that she and I don't like each other and we've had enough run-ins for a lifetime, not only is she a good CSI, but I know that your team is close and that this has to be affecting them badly. How is she really?"

Horatio regarded Stetler for a while, trying to gage if he would use the information to hurt the Lab or Calleigh later on. What he saw was genuine concern and compassion and then he remembered that the two of them had actually been friends once. "She's deathly ill, Rick. After initial success, she took a downturn for the worse late Saturday night and has been completely unconscious for the last four days."

"Is she in a coma?" Rick asked, brow creased. He had been lead to believe that Calleigh's condition wasn't as serious as it apparently was.

Horatio couldn't help his voice wavering slightly as he was suddenly overcome by a flood of emotions tied to the subject. "No. She'll respond to stimulus and you can wake her, it's just hard to and she's only conscious for a minute or two before she's out again and she's making no sense while she's up. She won't wake up on her own at all. While I was sitting with her, she had another seizure. The doctor said that it wasn't emotionally tied and completely due to the meningitis and-"

"Wait," Rick interrupted, his expression going from polite concern to real concern in an instant. "No one said anything about her having meningitis. I thought it was an intestinal bug. Last I heard was that she was in the Ladies' heaving up everything inside her. How contagious is she?"

"She's not, which is why we're allowed to sit with her. It's parasitical as opposed to viral. Listen, Rick, you wanted to know, well here it is: Calleigh is laying in a hospital bed fighting for her life with a disease that has an almost perfect kill rate. Yes, we're all upset by this, but, we can still function and do our jobs. Right now our concern for Calleigh is personal, taking scum off the streets of Miami is professional," Horatio snapped.

"Alright; take it easy. Just for the record, I wasn't all that worried about her before, but now that I know the facts, I am. Outside of the team and any family, is she allowed visitors?" Rick asked. He wasn't fond of Calleigh in any way because of all the humiliation that she'd dealt him over the years, but no one, not even his worst enemy, deserved what she had to be enduring.

Horatio was surprised and rather touched by the request. "Not yet. And certainly not now. I'll let you know."

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Duke sat holding his daughter's hand and feeling slightly guilty. After her fever broke, he had gone out to celebrate with a few friends. It looked like she'd be getting better faster than anyone had expected and that was something to celebrate. He had meant for there to only be a drink or two, but that had turned into five or six and then nearly a dozen before Lt. Caine had turned up to take him home.

"Calleigh, I screwed up. I didn't mean to, but I did just the same. I was so happy when your fever broke that I went out with a couple of buddies to celebrate and I overdid it. Lt. Caine had to be called to take me home," he confessed, watching her. It was the same as it had been for the last several hours, several days; nothing but the steady beep of the monitors and hiss of the oxygen feed. "I don't expect you to believe me because I can't get over how incredibly foolish and selfish what I did was. I know what happens every time I get around alcohol and I did it anyway. I guess I'm just hopeless. I guess instead of drowning my sorrows, I was celebrating something good. It's no excuse. I know that."

He lifted Calleigh's motionless hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "Come on, Lambchop, open your eyes and give me a good what-for. Please."

His eyes filled with tears and he no longer could take it, watching his daughter weaken and waste away, day after day. She had been unconscious for a week and there didn't seem to be signs of improvement. He laid his head on her shoulder and wept. He feared that she may never come back.

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Putting on the best smile he could, Eric entered Calleigh's ICU room as he did every day for the past two and a half weeks. "Hey, Cal. Anything new? No? I was hoping."

He leaned over and placed a gentle, tender kiss on her dry lips. He had gone from her forehead, to the tip of her nose, to her cheek and then the day before, to her lips. It was foolish, really, that he thought that his kiss might bring her around like some Prince Charming in a fairy tale. He leaned back to see if there was a response anyway. Nothing. He felt his heart dip a little lower.

Not liking how dry her lips felt, Eric took a rag from her bedside and wet it, applying it to her lips and she swallowed reflexively. He wet it again and put it to her lips, letting a drop or two fall into her mouth, and she swallowed again. She was thirsty. He looked around, disbelief and anger growing. _Why didn't anyone know that she was thirsty?_

He went into the small bathroom and dug around for a few minutes before finding what he wanted. After rinsing it thoroughly he brought it back to her bedside and sat down, using the eye dropper to suck up a little water from a paper cup. Using the utmost of extreme care, Eric let drop after drop fall into Calleigh's mouth, making sure she swallowed before any more went in.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "How could no one know what you need? Querida, forgive me for not figuring it out earlier."

He kept feeding her the water, drop by precious drop until there was nothing left in the cup. That's when his eyes landed on his dinner bag and he got an idea.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Up Out of the Darkness**_

Knowing that her son was in no way taking proper care of himself while Calleigh was still so ill, Clorinda Delko took to packing him and bringing him lunches and dinners, delivering them to the Lab and watching him eat them, herself. That evening, however, she couldn't stay for more than a few bites and so Eric didn't completely finish his dinner. He was eager to go and stay with Calleigh and he knew what he would find there and had no appetite for even his mother's home cooking.

It was to that bag that he went and took out his container, still warm from his mother's kitchen. He took the tiniest amount of roast pork and smashed it into a paste, mixing it with a small bit of his mother's mojo sauce. He took it on the tip of his finger, and saying a silent prayer that he wasn't making matters worse, he smeared it on Calleigh's bottom lip and waited. "Mom made me dinner and I couldn't finish it and I know how much you like her mojo."

Suddenly, her tongue darted out, removing the carefully prepared paste and she swallowed. Eric repeated the process until the small supply he had prepared was gone. "Cal, I know you're hungry, but I don't want to give you too much because you haven't had anything to eat in so long. I'm not sure what it would do to your tummy. I'll get you some more water, though." Eric fetched more water and over the next several hours he carried on a one way conversation with her and gently let her drink from the eyedropper.

His heart was tearing apart with every passing day and he had no idea how to stop it. The woman he loved and who loved him back was wasting away, getting weaker by the day, victim to a vicious disease, and there was nothing he could do but visit her and let her know that he cared, even if she never responded to him; never spoke. He knew that she might never wake up, no matter what automatic responses she might display. Truth was was that the membranes around her brain could continue to swell until they crushed the delicate tissue of her brain and kill it and her.

He never told her how scared he was for her, but just tried to be cheerful and positive. But that night, finally knowing that he was the only one that understood that she was still there and could hear and feel everything, he broke down.

"Calleigh, I'm going to get going in a few minutes but before I do, I want to talk to you seriously about something. I know that you're in there somewhere and can hear me. You drank from the eyedropper and ate a little food so I know consciousness is close by. It has to be. What I'm telling you is that every day that you don't wake up on your own is another day closer to never waking up. I'm going to be completely selfish right now and tell you that I love you and I need you to wake up for me. I need you. You don't have to do it right now...that's a lie. I do want you to wake up on your own right now even for a minute or two because it would let me sleep tonight. No one that loves you is sleeping much these days, not even Jake. I know you broke up with him, but he's always going to love you a little," Eric paused, struggling with his emotions that were always so raw these days.

A tear slipped from his eye. "Querida, mi amor, I'm dying inside watching you suffer and waste away day after day and I can't do anything to help you. You have to wake up, please. I need you; you have to wake up." Eric couldn't control his voice any longer and laid his head on her sunken in stomach and sobbed, his heart breaking into millions of tiny pieces. "I love you."

It was feather light at first and he wasn't sure he actually felt it, but it became more solid, more _there_. The slightest of touches of a hand on his hair. It was gentle and tenuous, like the rootings of a baby mouse. Eric lay still, stifling his tears. There it was again and suddenly Eric was sure. He lifted his head and Calleigh's now weak and unsupported hand fell to her stomach. He looked up at her face to see that her eyes had cracked open the tiniest of ways and she seemed to be looking at him. A single, salty tear ran from the corner of one eye. He took her hand. "Calleigh, give me a squeeze if you're awake."

It was barely there, but there nonetheless; the tiniest of squeezes. Eric drew her hand to his lips and kissed it while the other pushed the call button for the nurses' station. "You heard me, Querida; you heard me. Thank God. I've been so scared." His head snapped over to where the two night nurses rushed in. "She's up."

The desperate flurry of activity began.

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Eric had been brushed aside and the doctors paged while the nurses took Calleigh's vitals. To their surprise and delight, her brain activity had increased to indicate wakefulness.

"Welcome back, Calleigh," Allison said, gently stroking her patient's hair. "We were worried about you."

A small, strangled sound came from Calleigh's throat and she looked at Allison pleadingly.

"You're not going to be able to talk for a little while because you've been out for so long. You've been out for about three solid weeks, in fact. I know that's shocking, but I really think your body needed that time to deal with what was happening to you," Allison said, taking Calleigh's blood pressure. It appeared nice and steady and normal. She looked back at Calleigh, who was again making strangled noises. "I told you that you're not going to be able to speak for a while yet. Please relax."

Calleigh looked pointedly at the doorway and then back at Allison. "Eh...eh..."

"Sh-h-h. Eric? He's in the hallway and I imagine that he's spreading the good news. You know, he's the only one that you opened your eyes for," Allison said, trying to make Calleigh even more comfortable. "You wouldn't for Lt. Caine, Ryan, Natalia; not even Dr. Woods or your dad."

Allison had had experience with patients similar to Calleigh in condition and one thing they universally craved was a sense of normalcy. "I know what will make you feel better once the doctors check you out and clear you for it. How would you like a nice sponge bath, now that you can enjoy feeling clean, and a shampoo? We gave you a bath yesterday, but you weren't awake to enjoy it."

Calleigh smiled as brightly as she could. As far as she was concerned, it sounded like heaven. Now that she was fully conscious, she felt positively grungy and would love a nice, hot shower and a good invigorating shampoo, but she knew that would have to wait until she could stand up for that. A sponge bath sounded less than thrilling, but welcome.

"Well, look who decided to join the world again," Dr. Louis said as he and Dr. Santos entered. "I'm happy to see you awake and alert, luv."

Dr. Santos took Calleigh's hand and began to check her reflexes. "Glad to see you back with us, sweetie; we missed you." Calleigh smiled up at her. "Oh, I know you can't talk. That's ok. Your body will tell me what I need to know. If anything hurts, you give me a squeak, alright. I don't want to hurt you."

Calleigh relaxed and let Dr. Santos do as she needed to. Nothing seemed to hurt, but everything weighed a ton. Her legs and arms felt like they were made from cement and her head wasn't much better. She felt so weak and tired. She closed her eyes.

"Oh, no you don't," Dr. Santos said, shaking her slightly. "We need you to stay awake for a little while longer; then you can take a nap." Calleigh whimpered her displeasure. "I know you're tired, sweetie. It's been a while since you've been awake this long but we need you to stay awake just a bit longer so we can make sure that you're really on the road to recovery this time."

Calleigh nodded, her gaze falling on the doorway where Eric stood, watching the busy activity. "Eh...eh...eh...eh."

Allison looked over at Eric. "She wants you. Mr. Delko, she can't talk right now. It's due to the meningitis and her being unconscious for so long. Her ability to speak will return in a couple of days. Until then she's going to be able to verbally communicate very little."

Eric came forward and sat on the water bed that they had exchanged Calleigh's standard bed for shortly after she had become unconscious. It was better for the immobile and prevented bed sores in paralyzed patients. While Calleigh hadn't been paralyzed, they chose to treat her physically as a patient in a coma. That meant a specialized water bed to help equalize the pressure on her body which maximized her all around physical comfort level.

He took her hand. "I knew you were in there somewhere. I called Horatio and he's telling everyone the good news as we speak."

"D...d...d," Calleigh attempted.

"Your dad? I'm sure he'll tell him as soon as possible. I think your dad is in court today. He was telling us about a big murder trial he's involved in. I think swing shift was handling the evidence," Eric paused, looking her over. The last three weeks had taken their toll on her. She had lost weight, her normally full cheeks sunken in and her eyes unnaturally large in her face. He ached for her to be well and hearty again. "Do you need anything?"

Calleigh's gaze shifted from Eric's face to Dr. Santos' water bottle and then back again. She was dying of thirst. That little that she had from the eye dropper only had scratched the surface and just then, she wanted it completely slaked. She repeated the gesture, hoping Eric could follow.

Eric followed her gaze carefully. "You want something to drink?" He was rewarded with a smile from her. "Got it."

Eric rose and filled the plastic pitcher at her bedside with as cold water as he dared, poured a small amount into a cup and popped a straw in. He held it to her lips, but before she could take a single sip, Dr. Santos stopped him.

"Mr. Delko, what do you think you're doing?" she asked, coming to the head of Calleigh's bed.

Eric looked up at her. "She's thirsty."

"That very well may be but her muscles have been severely compromised and drinking through a straw without drowning herself might be more than she can do right now," Dr. Santos said.

"Well, then how do you propose she get something to drink?" Eric demanded. As far as he was concerned, Calleigh had been through more than enough and needed some sense of being normal returned to her.

"Anne, go over to peds and get me a toddler cup," Dr. Santos said and then turned her attention to her patient, noting the horrified look on her face. She sat on the bed and tenderly stroked Calleigh's cheek. "I know, I know, it feels humiliating right now. But it's just until we figure out whether you have enough muscle control to drink from a straw or not. Calleigh, I've had meningitis patients that haven't had it as bad as you have, and have had to drink from a baby bottle for the first day or so. Mentally and emotionally, you're exactly who you are, but by virtue of your illness, muscularly right now, you're not much more than an infant. It'll get better; I promise you it will. You just woke up. By the end of the week you should be able to start doing things for yourself."

Eric's phone vibrated at his hip. "H is here, Cal. I'm going to go and let him know what's going on." He leveled a steely gaze at the doctor. "They're all going to want to see her."

"And they can as soon as we're done and she's had her needs met." Dr. Santos said just as firmly. "My focus is Calleigh's best interests here. I want her well and fully recovered as quickly as possible. But we need to go slow and figure out where the starting point is for her."

Anne returned with the toddler cup, already filled. "I put some watered down sports drink in it since I figured she might need a boost in her electrolytes," she said.

"Good thinking." She took the cup and held it a second, looking from the embarrassed looking Calleigh to the stunned looking Eric and made a decision. "Mr. Delko, why don't you see to updating your friends while I take care of Calleigh? I think this is something that needs to be a doctor-patient kind of thing."

"Yeah, alright." Eric turned, reluctant to go. The last thing he saw was Dr. Santos slipping her arm under Calleigh's shoulders and supporting her as she held the cup to Calleigh's mouth.


	12. Chapter 12

_**And Into the Light**_

Eric pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh as he approached the waiting area. Horatio and Duke were already there, along with Ryan and Natalia. Eric looked to his right and saw Alexx striding down the corridor. He entered the waiting area and held off saying anything until Alexx joined them.

"She's awake?" Duke asked almost incredulously.

"Okay, here's the deal: Calleigh is awake and very much alert; but there's a catch. She can't speak right now and she's extremely physically weak. The doctors say that it's from being out for so long," Eric explained.

"I thought they were trying to avoid that with a physical therapist moving her arms and legs for her for the last three weeks," Duke said, clearly upset.

"Mr. Duquesne, that will have helped some but not completely. Calleigh is going to have to have extensive physical therapy now that she's awake. She'll probably need some Occupational Therapy as well. We can't forget just how sick she's been," Alexx said firmly, yet gently. "Deficits right now are going to be natural. Speech function will be the first to come back. The muscles of her mouth and throat have been in a state of disuse and it'll take a little time before she'll be able to make them do what she wants. Probably not more than a day. By the end of tomorrow she'll most likely be talking again. Muscle memory is a miraculous thing."

"So, what you're saying, Dr. Woods, is that her muscles just have to remember what to do and she'll be alright?" Duke asked.

"That's making something very complex very easy, but, essentially, yes. However, she's lost a lot of muscle tone and strength in the last three weeks so she's going to need to rebuild that. That's what her physical therapy will mostly be about," Alexx said, suddenly wholeheartedly glad that she was a Medical Examiner and not a general care physician anymore. The hope in Calleigh's father's eyes was almost too much.

Natalia wiped her teary eyes and leaned on Ryan. "So, when can we see her?"

"Doctor Santos said that she and Doctor Louis wanted to finish their evaluation and see to Calleigh's immediate needs before they're comfortable letting anyone in," Eric said, with a glance back toward the flurry of happy activity in Calleigh's room.

Alexx nodded. "I'll poke my head in and see how far they've gotten. I'm sure Calleigh is just as anxious to see everyone as we are to see her."

Alexx crossed the distance to Calleigh's doorway and poked her head in, seeing Maria just lower Calleigh back to the bed. Her eyes landed on the toddler cup and she pushed the worry from her face and voice. "Hey, how's my girl doing, Maria?"

"Good," Maria smiled. "I think that was the last time we need that old thing, wouldn't you say, Calleigh?"

Calleigh smiled and nodded, eyes falling on Alexx. "A...aaa"

Alex understood and entered, going immediately to the bed and gently lifting her friend and embracing her. She covered her cheeks in kisses. "It's good to see you, too, baby. I've missed you so much." She felt Calleigh tremble in her arms and heard the tell-tale sniffing. "Oh, no you don't. Don't you start because I'll start and then we'll both be a mess. That's not going to work. One of us has to keep pretty."

The tearful trembling gave way to laughter, Calleigh giving her cheek a playful nuzzle, and with that, Alexx lowered her back to the bed. "That's better. How do you feel?"

Calleigh nodded, smiling and then looked toward Gabe and Maria, who looked like proud parents.

"Alright, Calleigh seems to think that you have something to tell me," Alexx said.

"Alexx, Calleigh is a remarkable person," Gabe started. "I'll need to take another head CT and lumbar tap to be certain, but I think she beat it. If she has, she is one of now six surviving victims of PAM in the United States and, if she has no objection to it, the subject of a paper that we are going to write."

Alexx was puzzled. "We?"

"All three of us. If it wasn't for your swift diagnosis of a possible infectious disease and insistence on getting her here to me, today we could be burying her, not celebrating her victory. Yes, Alexx, all three of us; you me and Maria, but only with Calleigh's consent," Gabe explained. He felt like handing out cigars. Rarely did he ever have a patient infected with something so serious come out of it with such strong vitals and brain activity. She was going to have a hard physical haul, but she made it out alive and mentally sound that's what mattered to him.

Alexx looked to her friend. "It's up to you, Calleigh, if we put one word down. What do you think?"

Calleigh nodded with the understanding as a fellow scientist, smiling sunnily and making a nonsensical sound that sounded joyous nonetheless.

"Even when we all thought she was giving up a few weeks ago, it seems that she was only digging her heels in and refused to stop and wake up until she won," Maria said with a chuckle. "You are one stubborn lady, Calleigh. Stubborn and willful and determined and I'm glad you are because I think that determination saved your life." She leaned over and gave Calleigh a light peck on the cheek. "You're a hell of a fighter."

Calleigh smiled, wanting to tell Maria and Gabe how grateful she was to them for everything they had done for her, but couldn't make her mouth work. Maria had said that being able to speak again would come back in a day or so and, now, until she was released and for a good year after, Maria would oversee her recovery and Gabe would take a back seat, as the crisis had passed. Small graces aside, at least she could drink from a straw and not a toddler cup, or worse, a baby bottle.

"Now, I think Allison promised our girl and good bath and a shampoo," Maria said. "Calleigh, now or after you've seen everyone? Try sounding the first letter."

_Therapy is starting already? _Calleigh concentrated on forming the first letter sound of the word she wanted. She wanted to see everyone first, especially her dad. She wanted full enjoyment of both. "A..a...a."

"After it is. I think we can break ICU protocol in this case and let everyone in for a little while. This is too monumental not to. I want everyone out in fifteen minutes, though. No fair overtaxing her," Maria said in a tone that told Alexx her old friend was dead serious.

"I'll make sure of it, Mar."

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After the joyful reunion with Calleigh, the hospital staff shooed everyone home so that Calleigh could have the private bath and the first shampoo she'd had in a good long while. Eric had fought to stay, but, listening to her doctors, Calleigh had given him an especially fierce scowl that told him to go home and rest or she'd kick his butt when she got the first opportunity. After that, she'd luxuriated in a soothing lavender scented sponge bath and a gentle and cleansing shampoo. She had closed her eyes and imagined that she wasn't still in a hospital bed, but enjoying the seldom indulged in treat of the beauty salon. Allison even gave her a manicure and pedicure, giggling evilly as she left Calleigh's previously bare toenails a bright and cheerful pink. Calleigh had given her a look that translated as a promise of revenge. Then, her first dinner arrived. Calleigh had hoped it would be something more along the lines of a good old cheeseburger and fries, but what she got instead was a whole batch of pureed _something_. Something that smelled delightful, but something unidentifiable. She looked over at Allison questioningly.

"It says here this is Thanksgiving dinner; deep fried turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese and sweet potato pie," Allison read off. "That's not our normal menu, Sunshine. Somebody came up with that in a hurry."

Calleigh shook her head. "Ba...bee...f...f," she tried.

"Good enunciation!" Allison praised. "Talking is coming back fast isn't it? I know it looks like baby food because we're starting there and working our way up. You haven't had solid food in nearly a month so no one wants to risk hurting your stomach. Let's face it, too much too fast and your digestive system will have a fit. Pureed today, slightly mushy tomorrow and maybe up to chunky tomorrow night? Let's see how fast your digestion is."

Allison tasted the turkey first before ever feeding it to Calleigh. _After everything she's been through this had better not be disgusting_. "Oh, hey, this is really great!"

Calleigh's cheeks colored and she turned her head away from the food even though her stomach was cramping from emptiness. She didn't want to be fed like an infant.

Allison stroked her hair. "What is it, honey?"

Calleigh looked pointedly at the utensil in Allison's hand and shook her head.

"Do you want to try it yourself? Calleigh, the spoon might be too heavy for you," Allison said, dumping the turkey back onto the plate and handing Calleigh the spoon. She watched as her patient struggled to get her fingers around it properly. When she finally did, she lifted it about a good inch before she lost her grip on it entirely. Calleigh whimpered in frustration.

"Okay, I tell you what, you let me feed you tonight and tomorrow I'll make sure we get plasticware for you. It's lighter and I bet you'd do just fine with that, alright? Don't be upset with yourself. This is normal," Allison coached as Calleigh nodded and allowed herself to be fed.

After the first few bites, Calleigh knew exactly where the meal had come from. She'd know that delicate culinary hand anywhere. "A...a..l..e."

"You mean, Dr. Woods?" Allison said. Calleigh nodded her agreement. "Okay, you know her better than me and I can see how much she loves you. Then again, Calleigh, you're very hard not to like."

In a few short minutes, Calleigh had completely cleared her plate, pureed pie and all and, once again, sleep weighed heavily on her.

"Alright, you can go back to sleep now. Since you just had your first meal in a long time and it was nearly liquid, it might go on through pretty fast, so ring this the minute you know you need help," Allison said, putting the call button in Calleigh's hand. "Squeeze it once so I know you can." Allison popped her head into the hallway and saw the light go on over Calleigh's doorway and a soft dinging sounded from the station. She gave Anne a thumbs up sign and came back in, tucked Calleigh in for the night and turned out the lights.

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Calleigh was already in an upright position when Alexx and Natalia came to visit the next morning. They entered her cubicle, smiles on their faces. The one person at a time ban for her had been lifted, yet only the team and her family were allowed to visit until she was placed in a regular room.

"Hey, Good Morning," Natalia said, entering, Alexx trailing behind her.

There was a slight hesitation and then, "Hey," Calleigh said, smiling at them.

"Oh-ho, starting to talk already? Good for you, baby," Alexx said, brushing a kiss to her cheek. "Gabe said you already went for your CT and that the tap was going to be soon. So far everything is looking good. The tap is just to make sure that you won."

"Yes," Calleigh said. "Thank...you...dinner...Alexx."

"It was nothing, honey. I knew we'd be having two Thanksgivings this year a little while ago. My gut just told me. David made the turkey. You know that frying turkeys in a trash can is a man's thing," Alexx said, smiling down at her.

"Thank...David...for...me. Tap...morning...yes," Calleigh said with effort, carefully enunciating every word.

"Okay, chatterbox, take it easy," Natalia teased. "You'll give yourself a stroke working so hard."

Just then Gabe entered with a couple of nurses that Calleigh didn't know. "Calleigh, luv, I'm just going to go ahead and get that pesky fluid sample now so you can get on with your day. If it comes back all clear, you'll be in your own room tonight and can invite everyone over for a fiesta."

Calleigh grinned at his enthusiasm. "Gabe...thank...you," she said clearly.

"Listen to you talk! Luv, that's wonderful. Things will come back pretty quick that way, but for the rest, you'll need to rely on Maria," Gabe said, beaming. Her head CT had come back completely normal and the lumbar tap was almost unnecessary, but he wanted to be completely sure that she wasn't going to have a relapse. Reading her spinal fluid would tell him in very definite terms what was what.

"Alright," he said as a nurse brought in a tray with things Calleigh had never seen before on it. It almost looked like something out of a science fiction or horror film. There were several smaller hypodermics lined up on it as well. "Calleigh, the first thing I need you to do is turn over on your left side for me. Ladies, can you give her a hand, please? Good. Once you're on your side, I want you to curl up in a fetal position with your knees all the way up to your chest and your head bent forward. This is going to help with when I place the needle into your spine. It'll keep your vertebrae as far apart as possible."

"H...hurt?" Calleigh asked.

"It will a little. I'm going to be giving you a local, which I'm injecting now, and that will numb you up a bit. I don't want to give you too much and possibly cause longterm damage, but, I would never dream of not administering any. This is not a comfortable procedure," Gabe said as he rubbed her back after administering the last of the local anesthetics. "I'm going to wait a minute or two to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to before we go on. The thing I want you to remember is that it'll be over quickly. Keep breathing normally and don't move while I'm in there. I'll keep talking to you the whole time, alright, luv?"

"Yeah," she breathed, taking comfort in the touch of Alexx's and Natalia's hands as they stroked and soothed.

"Alright, can you feel this, luv?" Gabe asked, poking her lower back with his finger.

"No."

He repeated it all around the area and into the center where he would be gathering the precious fluid. Each time she indicated that there was no sensation. "Good. I'll be inserting the needle in and I'll let you know when it's all the way there. I need you to hold perfectly still now." Gabe carefully swabbed the area sterile and then slowly and carefully inserted the frighteningly long and thick collection needle.

Suddenly Calleigh let out a high pitched sound of pain but did not move. It felt like her back was in flames. She bit her lip and willed herself not to move a muscle.

"Gabe, she shouldn't be feeling that," Alexx snapped. "What's going on?"

"I had to hold back on the use of the normal amount of local I give, Alexx. I don't want her to hurt like this, but I also don't want her to have further and lasting complications from too much anesthesia. It's better for a little pain now than to deal with more serious repercussions later. Calleigh, I'm sorry you're feeling this. I'll try to make this as quick as I can, luv," Gabe said soothingly as he gathered the fluid.

Calleigh whimpered and buried her face into the pillow as she concentrated on keeping her breathing even. She felt gentle hands on her head and a steadying arm behind her knees. "Hurry...please," she breathed.

After what felt like an eternity, the roar of fire stopped and a dull ache replaced it, soon floating off to nothing. After Gabe placed a soft gauze pad over the puncture wound, Natalia and Alexx gently assisted Calleigh onto her back.

"Would you like to see what all that fuss was for?" Gabe asked kindly.

Calleigh nodded. She felt like she had run a marathon.

Gabe held up a rubber capped test tube, not unlike that they used at the Lab. Inside there was a clear liquid that could have easily been tap water. "It might not look like much, but this will tell me whether you've beaten PAM or not. I'm hoping to not see a single live amoeba in the lot. I should have your results by midafternoon. Until then, I want you to rest and drink plenty of fluids. I am truly sorry that you felt anything. I had hoped you wouldn't. You understand why I underestimated on the anesthesia, yes?"

Calleigh nodded and accepted the straw from Natalia, taking a long swallow of orange juice. "Worse... if...too...much. You ...did...what...you...thought best."

"I'm relieved that you understand. I took the same oath as Alexx, "First do no harm". Sometimes you just have to try to do the least harm. Now, luv, I want you to lay flat for the next eight hours. That little bit of fluid I took can give you a nasty headache if you sit up before your body can make more. You can lay on your side, just as long as you're laying down," Gabe said as her breakfast tray was wheeled in. "I've ordered up some treats for you for later on. Things Alexx said you might just be craving about now. Enjoy your breakfast."

Calleigh smiled at him and wiped her eyes before looking quizzically up at Alexx. "Treats?"


	13. Chapter 13

_**Note: Thanks to everyone for their patience. Not only did I go back to work this week after recovering from the flu, but I had a major case of writers' block until earlier today.**_

_**Thank to everyone who has been reviewing. You keep me going. **_

_**Baby Steps**_

Horatio stood outside Stetler's office door and took a deep breath. If it wasn't for the very fact that he had made a promise so many weeks ago, he would never divulge the information to him now. Calleigh didn't need the grief. He knocked.

"Come in.'

Horatio pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "Rick."

Stetler leaned back against his chair. "Is there a problem with anything, Horatio? I swore I'd leave your Lab alone while Duquesne was out. I've kept my word on it."

"I came to keep my word, too. I said I'd tell you when Calleigh woke up. She did last night. She's having a head CT and another spinal tap this morning to determine whether she's clear of the meningitis. I don't have to tell you what an unpleasant and painful a procedure a spinal tap is, Rick. She's not going to be in any shape to have visitors today," Horatio said, his voice a gravelly growl. "So I'd leave her be."

"So, she's on the mend, then?" Rick asked, bristling at Horatio's assumption that he was going to go to the hospital to cause her grief.

"That is for her doctors to determine, but at least she's awake," Horatio said.

"How does she feel?"

"Very glad to be alive," Horatio said, stepping back out of the office and walking away.

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Rick pushed open the door numbered 2214 and quietly entered just in case it's occupant was resting. I his hand he held a small flower arrangement with a cheery yellow card proclaiming Get Better Soon! on it. He peered into the bed and was shocked by what he saw. He had expected the normal bright and sunny, yet fiercely determined and defiant woman that he had gone toe to toe against over the years. Instead he found quite possibly one of the biggest shocks of his life. Her skin was sickly pale, her normal vibrant shining hair dull and lifeless. She had lost weight and looked more like an ill child lying amongst the pale sea green blankets and fluffy pillows than the fierce and deadly woman he knew her to be. Against his better judgment, he came further into the room, on the pretense of looking for a good place to put the arrangement where she would see it and be cheered by it. Who didn't think bright yellow daffodils cheerful?

As he neared the bed, he took in her features carefully and felt his resentment for her relax a little. She had never asked to have what happened to her happen. She was only doing her job. He quietly placed the flowers on her nightstand at the side of her bed, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Seemingly with it's own will, his hand lifted to softly stroke one cheek. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Calleigh. Get well so we can have a good yell about how much county money you're sucking up just lying here and taking a vacation on the good taxpayers of Miami-Dade County," he said, not meaning a word beyond "Get well". "Anyway, you take care and enjoy the flowers."

He turned and began to move softly to the door.

"Thank you...Rick...I like...d-d-d-d-da...fo...dils," Calleigh got out, seemingly with a great deal of effort.

Stunned at the unsteadiness and unfamiliarity in the rhythm of her voice, he turned. "You're welcome. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry."

"You didn't," she said, then continued. He was uncomfortable and Stetler and even if he had brought her a meadowful of flowers every day from the day she was admitted to the day she would be released, he was still Stetler and she was still every ounce of Calleigh Duquesne and she was going to work it and have some fun.

"Sorry...talking ...is...hard right now...I'll...get...it back...soon ...enough...It's the...d-d-d-drooling that...I...hate." With that, she allowed what she had no trouble controlling or swallowing to run from her bottom lip. Horatio had once told her that Stetler had a thing about spit; that it completely weirded him out. She watched him fight cringing and fought to keep a straight face.

"Little help...here," she prompted.

Fighting his rising disgust, he gingerly helped her wipe at her bottom lip and dry up the drool. Tossing the tissue into a waste basket, he turned. "Listen, Duquesne, I just wanted to see for myself what was going on with you. Sorry you got so sick and all. Uhm, I, uh, have more paperwork on my desk to clear before the end of the month. You know how it is. Anyway, get well and I'll see you around the Lab before long. Take care of yourself."

He had been backing away from her steadily until his backside connected with the door. He yanked it open and backed through it. Calleigh waited for, perhaps, a solid count of ten before she broke into gales of laughter. "Weenie."

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It was a rapidly fleeing Stetler and the sound of Calleigh's not so innocent laughter that greeted Dr. Santos as she turned the corner nearest Calleigh's room. Striding purposefully, she opened Calleigh's door to the full volume of the laughter.

"What did you do?" she asked. Alexx had warned her that Calleigh was a handful.

Calleigh managed to calm herself long enough to gasp, "Stetler...drool...priceless!" before dissolving into another fit of laughter.

"You played a practical joke?" Maria asked. She was flat out astonished that Calleigh would have the sheer energy to play a practical joke. She had barely been conscious for 24 hours. _Yeah, she'd have to watch this one._

Calleigh nodded and struggled to get herself under control, but it felt so good to laugh. "Internal Affairs weenie...causes us problems...all the time. Hates Horatio...hates drool more." She broke off as another wave of laughter overtook her.

"Oh no, you didn't. Calleigh, that's mean," Maria chided.

"No, revenge; just...a little," Calleigh defended, finally sobering. "He's been trying to shut down the...Lab for ages. Pounces the minute he smells weakness. Turned it on him."

"I see your oral muscles are remembering things just fine. How's your recall doing?" Maria asked, changing the subject.

"Fine. Ask me something," Calleigh said confidently.

"8x8," Maria asked.

Calleigh leveled a gaze on her that made her squirm. "64. I passed the third grade, Dr. Santos, and have degree in physics and another in neurophysiology to prove it. Please, now that I'm not...r-running a raging fever, you can ask me harder things."

Maria laughed and slid Calleigh a foam drink container. "Here, Gabe ordered this up for you for later today. I thought you might enjoy it now. Alexx said that you might be craving the actual fruit, but since we're not quite there yet, Gabe and I thought the slushy was the best compromise."

"Bribing me with a fruit slushy will get you almost nowhere unless it's..." Calleigh sipped through the straw and the flavor burst into her mouth. It was all she could do to not squeal. "Watermelon! You have my attention." She placed the cup on her tray table.

Maria moved the cup and delicious slushy out of Calleigh's easy reach. "Reach for it."

"What?"

"There's nothing wrong with your hearing. Reach for it. You want it, use your muscles and reach for it," Maria said.

"You've got to be kidding," Calleigh said. "I haven't been fully conscious for 24 hours yet. You want to start therapy?"

"Uh-huh; think of it as an evaluation of where you are now and where you need to go before I give you clearance to go back to the Lab," Maria said. "Besides, you're well enough to be playing practical jokes, so reach for it."

"Right," Calleigh said, entirely unconvinced. She reached out a weak and shaky arm, fighting for all she was worth. Her fingers brushed the foam cup before she fell back, breathing hard. "Little too far."

Maria nodded, gaging how hard she could push her patient. "Again."

Calleigh shot her an incredulous look and reached again, with the exact same result.

Making notes, Maria slid the container a little closer. "Reach."

This time Calleigh's fingers almost closed completely around the container and she managed to drag it closer to her before she fell back against her pillows. "Look, just so you know; I'm not having fun here."

"You're not supposed to right now," Maria said, making more notes. "Reach."

Rolling her eyes, Calleigh reached out, leaning forward once again.

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Gabe entered Calleigh's room to her growling at Maria and Maria making Calleigh reach for a foam drink container.

"Come on, Calleigh, put a little effort behind it. Your slushy is melting," Maria said, making notes in the chart in her lap.

Calleigh growled again and shoved herself off the pillows, her right hand closing triumphantly around the drink container and she pulled it to her. Hugging her prize, she collapsed back to the pillows, breathing hard. With a wary eye, she drank greedily from the straw.

"Maria, Maria, what are you doing?" Gabe asked, already knowing the answer.

Maria turned innocent dark brown eyes on her colleague. "Spending time with my favorite patient and playing a game."

"Yeah, it's called: How to Piss Off a Woman Who Can Strip Apart an AK-47 and Put it Back Together Again; Blindfolded," Calleigh said between sips.

Gabe stroked her hair. "Is that the watermelon slushy I ordered for you, luv?"

"Yes, and thank you, by the way," Calleigh said. "It's wonderful and completely perfect. Alexx told you that I almost physically crave fresh fruit year round, right?"

Gabe smiled at her. "She did. There's a banana and coconut one that's supposed to taste like a pina colada for after dinner and I think there's a strawberry one tomorrow morning. There's on order as much orange, tomato and grapefruit juice as you can possibly consume as well at any time, day or night. Tomorrow I'll be moving you to semi-soft foods and I have a treat already ordered for breakfast."

"I just can't believe how hungry I am all the time," Calleigh commented, feeling safe enough to relinquish her hard won and beloved slushy and place it back on the tray.

"You haven't had anything to eat in a bit short of a month, luv. If I thought that your digestive tract could handle it, I'd order up anything you want. But I don't want to take chances. We move slow and deliberate. Maria and I just spent the last three weeks desperately trying to keep you alive not to have you relapse from a gastrointestinal malfunction." Gabe explained and then it struck him; She was speaking without halting between her words to make her mouth work. That was something exciting. "I see that your vocal skills returned relatively easily. How's the recall?"

Calleigh decided to go with the most step laden and complex of her daily activities, "I can tell you which reagents to use in what precise order they need to go to process blood, urine and any other bodily fluids. I can tell you complete protocols in the complete processing of a crime scene, up to and including our Lab's specific standard procedures of operation. I can give you the characteristic of any known firearm, whether civilian or military. I know how to tie my shoes and how to drive a car. I know my alphabet and numbers infinitesimal. Yeah, Dr. Louis, I have excellent recall."

He smiled at her. "That's good to know. You can call me Gabe, by the way. We've had a far too intimate relationship as patient and doctor for you to feel you need to be so formal."

She returned the smile and reached for her slushy only to find that Dr. Santos moved it out of her easy reach again. She frowned in displeasure. "Alright. Gabe, I know you didn't come just to look in on me. You have the final results of my test."

"Yes, I do. I wouldn't have authorized your move to a regular room unless I had an almost 100 percent chance that you'd be completely parasite free. Well, you are. I found plenty of amoebas in your spinal fluid, but they were all dead; every last one of them. You beat it," Gabe said, chest puffing with pride.

"No, I didn't. WE beat it; you, me and Dr. Santos," Calleigh said.

"Calleigh, that's Maria to you," she said. "But what Gabe said is true. We could have worked around the clock on you and you could have just given up and died on us. It was your will to live that carried you through."

"Alright, then I get to share it with my dad and everyone at the Lab that sat with me around the clock," Calleigh said. "I'm sure having the constant reminder, even though I was unconscious, that I had people who were there for me and cared whether I lived or died gave me strength."

"Well, it didn't hurt," Maria said. "Of your friends, Mr. Delko came by the most and sat with you the longest. He read to you and kept you up on your current cases. He sometimes fell asleep in the chair by your bed. Lt. Caine came by every morning to read the early edition of the Miami Herald to you. Mr. Wolfe spent his entire lunch break over here and Ms. Boa Vista would come by and take care of your nails and brush your hair. Alexx was almost a fixture. Your dad came around the most, though. He sat in your room, holding your hand and telling you all about his court cases and just sharing little things with you. Calleigh, you have so many people that love you. If I were you, I'd count myself lucky."

"I do and I'm incredibly grateful for all of them. Gabe, Maria, I wanted to say this last night, but my mouth wasn't co-operating. I want to thank the both of you for everything that you've done for me. I know that I presented a medical challenge to you both, but you met it head on and never gave up on me for a second," Calleigh said softly. "Thank you."

"It's our pleasure," Gabe said, smiling.

Suddenly the door opened and Natalia popped her head in. "Is this a bad time? I can come back later," she said, seeing the doctors in the room.

"There's always room for one more," Maria said, waving her in.

Natalia entered, bearing a beautiful arrangement of multicolored tulips. "This is a quick throw-together arrangement from the Lab. There's something bigger and more beautiful coming later, but we all wanted to brighten up your room right now."

"It's wonderful; I love tulips. They're my favorite flower," Calleigh whispered, blinking back a couple of tears. "Can you put them on my nightstand so they'll be the first thing I see when I wake up?"

Natalia smiled, pleased that the flowers made Calleigh so happy and pleased that Horatio had finally remembered Calleigh's favorite flower. She placed the arrangement on the nightstand. "There. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"I was just doing a few neurological assessments on Calleigh so she can begin her physical therapy as soon as possible," Maria explained. "Maybe with you here she won't be so crabby."

"I'm not crabby," Calleigh protested spiritedly. "You're withholding my watermelon."

Natalia and Gabe exchanged looks before she spoke, "It looks like I walked in on something."

Calleigh reached out and grabbed a hold of Natalia's wrist. "No, you didn't. You don't have to leave."

Maria pulled the tray table away from the bed and uncovered Calleigh's legs. "Alright, Calleigh, I'm going to hold your foot and I want you to push as hard as you can against my hand." She carefully bent Calleigh's left leg, palming her instep. "On three; one...two...three!"

Calleigh pushed with everything in her but couldn't seem to move a muscle; her leg refused to move. "I can't. It won't move. What's going on?"

Maria tried to keep her face impassive, remembering Calleigh's struggle with her leg strength when she first came down with the meningitis. "I'm not sure. Let's try your right leg."

Maria laid the left leg down and bent Calleigh's right, telling her to push. She watched Calleigh strain to make her leg obey her. It never moved against Maria's hand and with a resigned sigh, she realised that she had been somewhat afraid of exactly what was happening.

"Maria, just what the hell is going on here?" Calleigh demanded, fear coloring her voice. "I can feel them, but why can't I move my legs?"


	14. Chapter 14

_**Note: I know several of you had requested an E/C moment in this chapter, but RaceTheWind sort of inspired me to do some exploring and deepening of the friendship between Calleigh and Natalia. I think it's only a natural thing since I understand that the actresses are actually very good friends in RL. Enjoy! **_

_**More Complications**_

_Calleigh pushed with everything in her but couldn't seem to move a muscle; her leg refused to move. "I can't. It won't move. What's going on?"_

_Maria tried to keep her face impassive, remembering Calleigh's struggle with her leg strength when she first came down with the meningitis. "I'm not sure. Let's try your right leg."_

_Maria laid the left leg down and bent Calleigh's right, telling her to push. She watched Calleigh strain to make her leg obey her. It never moved against Maria's hand and with a resigned sigh, she realised that she had been somewhat afraid of exactly what was happening._

"_Maria, just what the hell is going on here?" Calleigh demanded, fear coloring her voice. "I can feel them, but why can't I move my legs?"_

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Gabe came to stand at the bedside and exchanged a look with Maria before he spoke. "Is it a full sensation or just partial?" he asked, watching his patient struggle to remain calm. That's when he realised that she hadn't actually heard him. "Calleigh, is it normal sensation or less than that?"

"It's totally normal. I just can't move them. Why can't I move them?" Calleigh replied, fighting to keep her voice calm

"This can be a side effect of the medication or a lingering effect of the meningitis; right now I don't know, luv," Gabe said. "Let me put in a call to my friends at the CDC and see if they have any information for me. In the mean time, Maria, can you run a series of neurological tests and see if it's not related to her earlier muscle weakness?"

"So you just expect me to sit tight and do nothing while you poke and prod me and hold teleconferences?" Calleigh said sharply, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Calleigh. You must be pretty frightened right now and I would be, too," Maria said soothingly. "I promise we'll get to the bottom of it all as soon as we can. This could very well be temporary. I've seen it in other meningitis patients before. It usually fades in a day or two."

"You know, I don't like it when you doctors say "I don't know"," Calleigh said unsteadily, unconsciously squeezing Natalia's hand. She was far more shaken than she was willing to let show at the moment. Natalia squeezed back, understanding.

"The sooner we get to work, the quicker we'll know what's going on," Gabe said, walking to the door. "I'll let you know what I find out from my colleagues."

Maria stood and smiled gently at Calleigh. "I'm going to get those tests set up and then I'll be back to check on you. I know it's hard, honey, but try not to worry."

As Maria left, Natalia sat on Calleigh's bed, facing her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Calleigh looked down, shaking her head. "No. I'll be alright; really. It was just a bad shock. I'm fine."

"You are not fine, Calleigh. Don't think you're going to sit there and lie to me after I heard exactly what you've heard. If it were me, I'd be freaking out and absolutely terrified that I could be-"

"Yeah, well I'm not you!" Calleigh exploded angrily. "So don't presume to know how I'm feeling."

Natalia was not going to be thrown off by a display of the much famed but hardly witnessed Duquesne temper. "You're angry and frustrated and terrified. You know how I know? I know because of how you just responded to me. Calleigh, right now and in this instance, what you're feeling isn't a weakness; it's normal. You're just dealing with it differently. I'd be a shaking, crying mess. That's me. You get angry and defensive and try to put up a brave front when all you want to do is collapse and let it all out. You want to scream and cry and rage at the world for it's uncertainty and lack of fair play. But, right here and right now you won't. I can respect that, but I know that you're still not okay and even if you won't let it out, you can still lean on me because I'm your friend and I care about you."

Calleigh nodded, knowing that Natalia was completely correct in her armchair assessment of her emotional state. The knowledge that Natalia could read so much about her unnerved her somewhat. "Okay," she whispered, emotions raw in her voice. Still, she refused to cry. She didn't cry. "But I don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine," Natalia replied.

"And I don't want a word of this even whispered at the Lab, especially not to Horatio. He already feels guilty about me getting sick. If he knows that I'm-that I'm having difficulties right now he'll blame himself for it. I can't have that," Calleigh said determinedly. "Promise me that you won't say anything."

Natalia hesitated before answering. "Calleigh, Horatio is our Lt.; he has every right to know."

"No."

"You can't hide it forever. You know either Maria or Gabriel will tell Alexx sooner or later. Then she'll mention it to Horatio and how do you think he's going to feel in not hearing it from you first?" Natalia reasoned. She was terribly worried about her friend. She wasn't making rational choices and that scared Natalia badly. Calleigh was the most rational person she had ever met. "Calleigh, listen to me, you have to let him know."

Calleigh shook her head, fighting the moisture building in her eyes. "I can't. Just not yet. What if it's just temporary like Maria said? If I tell Horatio now and it turns out that I'm fine in a couple of days, I'll have caused him grief for nothing. I don't want to do that to him. He's had enough on his plate since he found out about Kyle." Her lower lip trembled and she looked down, struggling for control.

"And..." Natalia coached softly, understanding that there was something more to it than Horatio's emotional well being. She moved closer to Calleigh, knowing that the other woman needed extra support at that moment.

Calleigh fought desperately for any semblance of control, but it was a losing battle. Her resolve crumbled. "I'm scared," she whispered so softly that she could barely be heard.

Natalia reached out to her and drew her into a gentle hug. "I know, I know," she murmured into the trembling woman's hair. "It's okay, you know. You get to be scared and anything else you're feeling right now. You have a right to acknowledge it and express it."

Calleigh sniffled and pulled away. "Thank you; I really needed that. I'm sorry, it's just really huge and I'm having a hard time getting my head around it."

"That's understandable. Alright, I won't say anything until all the tests are done, but that's the end of it. If you haven't regained the use of your legs by then and the test come back inconclusive or negative, you have to tell Horatio. It's only right. He'll have to make adjustments in the ballistics lab and on the range for you. You have to give him time to do it," Natalia said.

"I don't want to sound selfish, but I don't want to be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of my life, Nat. I don't think I can- I mean if that'll be the case-" Calleigh broke off as another burst of moisture invaded her eyes. She wiped at them in irritation. "I don't know."

"I do and you'll still be a damn good CSI and the best shot in a five state area. That's not going to change. But let's not dwell on what ifs until all the facts are in, alright?" Natalia soothed. Her heart was aching to see her friend so lost and frightened. Calleigh was someone that she, like just about everyone on the day shift, had come to count on as a solid rock of stability, no matter what else was going on around them. But over the last near month Natalia had come to see the other, less advertised, side of Calleigh; the overwhelmingly human, intricately flawed and uncertain side that did nothing to diminish the respect she felt for the ballistics expert, but only served to make her a much more dear friend.

Natalia's pager went off. She glanced down at the read-out. "I don't want to, but I have to go. I'm needed on a crime scene. I'm sorry."

Calleigh shook her head, indicating her understanding. "Go; that vic needs you more than I do right now. I have a voice, they don't. Go be that voice; I'm not going anywhere.

Natalia was stunned. Even in her grief and pain, Calleigh could still put the needs of a victim over her own. _What depth of compassion did she really possess?_ "Alright, Calleigh, I'm going. Do you need anything before I leave?"

"No. I'll be alright. Natalia, keep your powder dry and watch your back. I don't need a roommate in here. You got me?" Calleigh said, the authority of a senior CSI and the second in command ringing in her voice.

Natalia embraced her one last time. "I promise. Do you want me to ask Alexx to stop by at all?"

"Yeah, that would be great; after the post," Calleigh said, giving Natalia a shooing gesture. "Go; you're needed."

She watched as Natalia reluctantly left. Once the door closed, Calleigh let out a pent up sob, "What am I going to do?"


	15. Chapter 15

_**Note: With Khandi Alexander's departure from the CSI franchise as of this Monday's episode, I thought it only fitting to feature her in this chapter. I adore the character of Alexx Woods and know she has been under utilized in the last two seasons. I wanted to give the character, as played by Khandi, that wonderfully loving and comforting touch again as a testament to the amazing actress that gave Alexx life. Farewell Khandi and your precious Alexx. You are much loved and you will be missed. **_

_**Dealing**_

Alexx Woods stood up from her second victim and arched her back. It seemed to her that she had been squatting down and assessing murder victims for a millenia and the day was barely half over. She let out tired sigh and moved on to the next vic. He appeared to be a young male in his mid-twenties. He had a gun shot wound in his upper left chest. On sight, Alexx assessed that it had been the shot that finally stopped the big man's heart. The male was well over six feet tall and easily weighted near 300 pounds. He had the build of a football linebacker, with the muscle thickened neck to add testimony to her theory. It was no wonder that their killer used a firearm to stop him. Anything else would have proven laughable.

While Alexx worked on the vic, Natalia continued to take pictures of the crime scene every now and then stealing glances toward Alexx, gaging how much longer she would be before Natalia could sneak out to speak with her, extending Calleigh's invitation to talk. Finally, she found it. Alexx stood and announced that she had done everything possible at the scene and needed to take the body back for a post.

Natalia trailed after her, well aware that the woman was the last to warm to her after the mole debacle. "Alexx, hold up a second!"

The ME stopped, hearing the urgency in the newest CSI's voice. "What do you need, Natalia?" she asked.

Natalia didn't like to beat around the bush, particularly when people she cared about were involved. "Calleigh needs you right now. She just found out that her legs are paralyzed and she's on the edge of panicking. She knows it can only be temporary but that isn't helping right now because she also knows that it can be permanent. She held it together while I was there, but I'm not you. Can you please talk to her? She's more scared than she'll admit to me and she needs someone other than me to help her. She needs someone that knows her better and the only person she'd let me ask is you."

Alexx thought for a long while as she finished up packing her kit in the M.E.'s van. Seeing Calleigh was not in question, but what to say to her to help her was. "Tell me everything you know; from the beginning."

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Alexx pushed open the door to Calleigh's room and quietly entered. Calleigh appeared to be asleep, her eyes closed. Her face, though, was pinched with anxiety and Alexx sat on the edge of the bed and did her level best to radiate warmth and comfort.

"Go away," Calleigh murmured softly. "I'm done with tests. Leave me alone."

Alexx shook her head. It was worse than she had thought. Calleigh was shutting down already. "Baby, it's Alexx. Talk to me, Calleigh."

Calleigh's eyes opened and she shot into Alexx's comforting embrace. She did nothing to still herself. It was just simply too much effort and she felt safe with Alexx. She buried her face in Alexx's shoulder and wept inconsolably, her sobs raw and painful to hear, near to hysteria. She was in mourning of a sort and it was loud and visceral. She clung for dear life to the M.E.

Alexx held her tightly, trying her best to impart the comfort and reassurance the younger woman sought. She rocked Calleigh as she would her own children, not saying anything, but allowing her gentle and articulate hands to speak for her as they stroked hair and rubbed small, reassuring circles on the back. She realized that Calleigh was beyond speech in her pain and fear and until she could be brought forward into the present and calmed, words were just incoherent sounds, no matter how soothing the tone. She whispered nonsense soothing sounds into Calleigh's ear and continued to hold her and attempt to calm her with gentle physical touch.

Alexx's own heart was breaking as she held Calleigh tightly. The sound of the younger woman's raw sobbing tore through her as surely a knife or bullet would. Calleigh was emotionally bleeding inside and she needed to stop it somehow and try to help her to heal.

She could only remember twice when she had seen Calleigh weep with such intensity. The first was when Tim Speedle was killed in the line of duty. Calleigh had held it together during the rest of the investigation and even into the funeral, but, when everyone had been leaving the cemetery, Calleigh had hung back, waiting until Speed's parents had said their final good-bye to their son. Then Calleigh had come forward and berated him for not cleaning his gun like he had promised her to do. She had fallen to her knees and vented her rage and grief at his casket, collapsing into a fetal position over her knees until she had wept herself dry before rising, raising fingertips to her lips and brushing them across the mahogany surface and turning away; Alexx her only and unseen witness. The second time was two and a half years later at Miami General, the self same hospital that she was in now, waiting the outcome of Eric's surgery to remove the bullet from his brain. She had found Calleigh in the hospital's chapel, not from any sense of prayer, but a need for solitude, sobbing her heart out in fear of yet losing someone else that she loved so dearly. It was as painful to witness as at Speed's graveside and this time, Alexx embraced her and tried to comfort what was almost entirely inconsolable.

Alexx was perhaps the only person at the Lab that understood the depth of emotion that Calleigh carried around with her every day, but never dared show. She had seen glimpses of it here and there, a more exposing disclosure when Hagan committed suicide in front of Calleigh, but it was brief while at work. Later that night and for a couple of nights after that, waking with a horrifying nightmare, Calleigh had dialed Alexx, who had, without hesitation, shot to her side and calmed her enough so that she could get at least a little sleep. Calleigh had ceased calling every evening in a sheer state of terror soon after that and Alexx had noticed that Eric had been more attentive to Calleigh's needs in the following days and weeks and had rightfully assumed that he had been there to help see her through. It was good for them both to help each other heal their individual pain.

Slowly, gradually, Calleigh had calmed, exhausting herself into sleep in Alexx's arms. The M.E. laid her friend down in the bed, covering her and making sure she was comfortable before rising and taking occupancy of the bedside chair, resolving to not move until she could speak with her beloved friend and erase some of her fear and pain. As much as Calleigh was her friend, she also saw her as a sort of daughter, despite their closeness in age, and every time Calleigh hurt, she resonated the same pain and it drove her to help. She just hoped that she could help heal her spirit this time.

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Maria cracked Calleigh's door open and peered inside, noticing Alexx at vigil. "Alexx," she breathed just loud enough for her friend to hear.

Alexx turned her head at the soft sound of her name and rose, moving quietly out of Calleigh's room, but kept a hand on the door. "Maria, what the hell went on here since this morning? When Natalia and I left, Calleigh was a little sore from the tap, but she was happy. I just spent almost an hour trying to comfort her. She was near hysteria. What happened?"

"Earlier this afternoon, Gabe and I were giving her a few small assessments so that I could know where to begin her physical therapy and see how much work she had to do," Maria said softly, hating the anger she saw in her friend's eyes, but understanding why. She felt the guilt weigh down on her shoulders, although what was physically happening to her patient wasn't her fault, she felt that the degree of grief and pain she was going through was.

"Natalia told me what happened. She said that you were testing strength and mobility and, although Calleigh could feel her legs, she couldn't use them. What happened after Natalia left?" Alexx prompted, seeing the weight on Maria's shoulders.

Maria sighed heavily. "Gabe and I ran a battery of tests to find the cause to Calleigh's paralysis, whether it was temporary or permanent; whether it would localize or spread. Everything came back inconclusive. Absolutely everything, Alexx."

"I see that Calleigh knows."

"Alexx, you know me. I was gentle and kind. You know I don't deliver difficult news in a cold way. I didn't want to hurt her, believe me, but I remembered your's and Eric's caution about being honest with her, so I was. I told her calmly and gently exactly what our findings were. To say that she took it badly would be a gross understatement. She was angry and defiant and shouted at me, then threw me out. That must have been not too long before you got here. I was just coming in to check on her when I saw you sitting there," Maria said, sighing again, leaning heavily against the wall. "What can we do for her?"

Alexx peeked in on Calleigh, seeing her still asleep, then returned her attention back to Maria. "I'm not sure, honey. She's dangerously close to shutting down and if she does that you'll have a hell of a time getting her to co-operate with anything. Calleigh doesn't handle uncertainty well at all. Every time things in her life have gone uncertain, things also went bad. She's the adult child of alcoholic parents who grew up in nothing but uncertainty, disappointment and heartache. Calleigh has never told me all that much, but from what she has said, she's had her fair share of pain in life and a whole sackful of someone else's to boot. That she's as amazingly well adjusted and together as she is is a sheer miracle. All that heartache and pain has made her one tough customer and great fighter. She'll get through this, but only if she doesn't shut down. My advice right now is to back off a bit. Do what you need to do as her doctor, but let those that know her and love her handle the rest. Never let her believe that, because she lashed out at you in a flood over something overwhelming, you ceased to care. It's going to be an uphill battle, but she will get through this even if I have to drag her, flailing and screaming to the other side. I won't give up on her and I know at least half a dozen others that won't either."

Maria had cast her eyes down while listening to Alexx's sage advice. When she looked up, her chocolate eyes glistened with tears. "I hope so, Alexx. I don't know her very well, but by the devotion and love you all have been showering on her, she must be a remarkable person. I don't want that light to go out in her. I'll do anything you ask of me if you think it'll help. I can't help but feel responsible for what she's going through. I'm the one that told her."

Alexx reached out and placed a gentle hand on her long-time friend's arm. "It would be worse if she didn't know. And before you say it, baby, it would have been just as bad if Gabe or I was the one to tell her everything. There was no avoiding it. She would have reacted exactly the same way and we would still be standing here trying to figure out how to help her. She's going to have to get over the emotional shock before she can even begin to work on the physical."

"I wanted to start working with her tomorrow. I set her up with a great physical therapist that specializes in patients that have been in comas or unconscious for a prolonged period of time. Jenny Curry is at the top of her field. But, now knowing this, I'm not sure starting her tomorrow is such a great idea," Maria said.

Alexx shook her head. "No, start her tomorrow like you planned. But let Ms. Curry know exactly what she's going to be facing. Calleigh might be very resistant to therapy or just go through the motions. I'm not sure because we haven't talked yet. Maria, is it possible that her legs might respond with therapy? I'm not talking about them waking up tomorrow, but down the road a bit?"

"It's possible; anything is possible at this point because of the inconclusiveness of the test results. They very well could because what she has could be entirely temporary and in any time period of a few days to a few weeks or months, her legs could suddenly begin responding as long as there is regular muscular stimulation," Maria said, then her eyes lit. "Could that be the carrot that keeps her trying, at least for now?"

"Uh-huh, baby. That's what I'm thinking. If she has a tiny shred of hope to cling to, it might just make her fight," Alexx said. "Do you want to tell her or shall I?"

"Why don't you, Alexx? I mean, after everything I've already said to her, I'm not sure she wants to see me, let alone speak to me, or will even listen to a word I have to say," Maria said miserably.

"I will, then, but I'll tell her that that was the latest information that you had and asked me to tell her about it when she woke up," Alexx agreed, taking another peek into Calleigh's room, seeing her beginning to stir. "I'm going back in. It looks like she might be waking up. I don't want her to wake up alone right now."

Maria graced her with a small, weary smile. "You do that. I'm going on back to Gabe's. Call me if you need me."

"Sleep well, Mar. I have this," Alexx said before entering the hospital room and returning to her chair.

She watched as Calleigh's eyes fluttered open. "Hello there, honey."

"Alexx," she breathed softly before her situation crashed in on her and she felt her heart quail in her chest as the fear came close to overwhelming again. She sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry."

Alexx left the chair and alighted on the edge of the bed. "For what, Calleigh?"

"For losing it."

"You had every right. I talked to Maria and she told me everything. It's a lot to deal with, baby and I'm sorry that you had to deal with learning what you did alone. I wish I had been here for you then," Alexx said softly, gently.

Calleigh nodded, squeezing her eyes shut at fresh tears. "It was terrible, Alexx."

"I know, sweetheart. You must have been out of your mind in a million different ways. I'm just glad I was here when I was."

"I am so sorry for that."

Alexx leveled a hard gaze on her friend. "Don't you ever dare say that to me, Calleigh. You were in the midst of falling apart when I came in and you needed what I willingly gave. Don't you ever be sorry for feeling anything and don't you ever dare apologize to me for taking what I willingly give you. You are my friend and I love you and will help you in any way you ever need me to. You needed to just be held and comforted and to vent your feelings in a safe place. You found that with me."

"It's just, Alexx, you know I don't like to just take," Calleigh tried to explain.

"No, baby, you just don't like to be seen as needing anyone or anything. I know better, don't I? I've never told anyone about before. That was between you and me and always will be, although no one would have seen you as weak and feeble for needing comforting. Everyone in the world does, honey. One of these days, you'll have to let down those walls that you've built around yourself and let more than one or two people in," Alexx advised gently. She reached out and stroked Calleigh's soft hair. "I found out through the Lab's grapevine that you let Stetler have it today. What did you do?"

"Word traveled that fast?" Calleigh asked as a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips at the memory of what she pulled on Stetler. "He showed up here with some flowers and canned sentiment. Even though he sounded sincere, well, he's still him and IAB and a weenie."

Alexx couldn't help but grin. "And you're still you."

"Well, I couldn't help it, Alexx. It was the absolute perfect set-up. My halting speech had already cleared up a couple of hours before and he didn't know any specifics, I'm sure because none of the team would ever divulge that in fear that he could use it against us. Horatio once let me know that Stetler had a thing about drool. It completely wigs him out. Ryan's is feces, Eric's is vomit and mine is, well, ants. Anyway, I knew about the drool thing and played it. I pretended to just wake up and as I was talking to him, I let the drool roll. I thought he was going to crawl out of his skin, Alexx! He was on the edge of a complete gross out. I know it was mean, but I couldn't help it. I see it as payback in part for all the trauma he's put us all through over the years," Calleigh said with a laugh, despite the heaviness in her heart.

Alexx struggled not to laugh at the vision of Stetler in that wanting to flee, but it being an inappropriate thing mode. "Calleigh, it was entirely mean, but I wish I could have seen it! How bad was it?"

Calleigh stifled a laugh at the memory. "He looked like he wanted to crawl right out of his skin, especially when I asked for help in mopping it up."

Alexx broke into gales of laughter. "Oh, I wish I had seen that!"

Calleigh sniffed, trying not to snort in laughter, "He fled the room like his can was on fire and I take it from Maria's reprimand, he left awfully quickly. I mean, I'm sorry if it was a mean-spirited prank, but that guy has had something like this coming for years from somebody on the team."

Alexx tried to sober, but was having a very difficult time of it. "So you saw the opportunity and took it. Good for you. He deserved that and in spades. You think he might try to visit again?"

"I doubt it with what I dealt him. I'd be surprised if he came around again. I gave him a pretty serious show," Calleigh said, finally able to still her laughter. "Alexx, what am I going to do?"

Alexx wasn't fooled into thinking Calleigh meant anything other than her physical situation. "Baby, take it day by day. I talked with Maria and she told me that, because of the way all the tests came up inconclusive meant that things had a chance of happening. You could regain the use of your legs with proper stimulation to them. Unless future tests tell you that things will never change, you have to fight and work for it because they just might. Uncertainty doesn't have to be bad, Calleigh. Right now it's full of hope and promise. What's happening to you right now doesn't necessarily mean that it will be permanent."

"Everything could go back to the way it was?" Calleigh asked, the hope almost painful in her eyes and voice.

Alexx didn't want to snatch that fueling hope away, but she had to be honest. "Maybe; it could. We just don't know right now. I'll tell you what, until we know otherwise, let's just believe that things will be better soon with no time limit on the soon because Maria told me it could be days, weeks or months before your legs wake up. There's also a chance that they may never, but right now, let's think they will."

Calleigh drew in a deep breath. "When you say it, Alexx, I can believe it. For now hope. I'm just scared."

Alexx opened her arms and drew in a frightened, but far from hysterical Calleigh, into her embrace. "I know you are, baby; I know you are."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Beginning to Cope**_

Natalia entered the locker room at the end of her shift. She was already tired but she knew that she wouldn't really be able to rest until she heard from Alexx after her visit with Calleigh. Natalia had come to know the Southerner as strong, confident and unshakable. What she saw that afternoon was anything but. Calleigh was frightened and small, the confidence leeched away and she was shaken to her core. It was unlike anything she had come to expect from Calleigh and it worried her.

Sighing, she sat heavily on the bench and hung her head, trying to stretch the tension from her neck. It had been excruciating keeping what had happened from the rest of the team because they all cared so much and would do anything to help.

"Why did I ever agree to keeping it to myself?" she groaned and rose, opening her locker and changing things out.

"You know, it's bad when you start talking to yourself," Eric commented. "At the risk of being nosy, but I'm a CSI so it's sort of in the job description; what are you regretting keeping to yourself?"

Natalia closed the locker, her heart aching to share the knowledge with Eric. "Are you planning on visiting Calleigh tonight?"

"Yeah, I was going to grab something quick and head on over to the hospital, why?" Eric replied, rummaging in his own locker. "And you didn't answer my question."

She knew she had promised Calleigh she'd say nothing to anyone until the results of her tests came back, but she knew she had to tell Eric, yet she knew that the Lab's locker room was not the place to talk about it. There were too many that could overhear. There was no way she wanted what she was going to tell him to be the Lab's gossip. "Why don't I join you for dinner and I can tell you what's going on?"

"It's serious, isn't it?" Eric asked as they made their way to the elevator.

Natalia waited until they stepped into the elevator and the doors shut before she said anything. "Yeah, it is. Something happened when I was visiting Calleigh earlier today. I don't want to say anything until we're out of here."

Eric's stomach did a flip when he heard that. His mind raced at top speed, coming up with any number of possible horrors that could have happened to her. He escorted Natalia out to his car and they got in. "'Talia, what happened? Is she unconscious again? Is she in pain? What's going on?"

"No, nothing like that. In fact, her CT and tap came back negative. She's clear of the illness, Eric. But, well, she failed some other tests in a pretty spectacular fashion and she didn't handle it well at all," Natalia said.

Eric was getting both frustrated and frightened. "Natalia, will you just tell me what went on?"

Natalia waited until Eric finished pulling into the parking slot before speaking, knowing that it was going to upset him. She wasn't blind to how he felt toward Calleigh. It had been painfully clear for almost a year and she saw that same light in Calleigh's eyes whenever the subject of Eric came up.

Two years ago, when she had first joined the Crime Lab as a cold case DNA specialist, she saw their playful interactions as playful flirting with no intention of follow through. But since Eric had been shot a year ago, things turned much more intense and serious between Eric and Calleigh and the sexual tension had grown to overwhelming proportions. "Eric, I don't know how to tell you this because the last thing I want to do is to make you any more upset, but I'm not going to lie, even though Calleigh asked me to tell no one but Alexx. "

"Just say it!"

"Eric, Calleigh's paralyzed; her legs won't move. She can feel them, but can't use them. Her doctors aren't sure why or how. It could be a side effect of the saturation of medication they had to give her or a complication from the meningitis. It could be permanent of temporary. Right now they just don't know," Natalia said gently, not wanting to cause Eric any more pain.

"But why doesn't she-"

"Because she's Calleigh and she doesn't want to worry anyone. You know how fiercely protective she is of everyone at the Lab. The only one she'd let me tell is Alexx and only because she knew that Dr. Louis and Dr. Santos would eventually talk to Alexx about it, if only to find a way to get her motivated for the physical therapy that she knows she'll have to do," Natalia told him, watching him breathe hard through his nose and clench and unclench his jaw. She reached over and took his hand from the steering wheel, holding it gently. "Eric, you know Calleigh far better than I do so I don't have to tell you how badly she's taking this. If she knew that I told you, she'd kill me with her own service pistol as soon as she would be allowed to hold it again."

Eric worked his jaw and struggled to get his emotions in check. What Natalia just told him was not good and he knew that no matter how badly he wanted to shoot to Calleigh's side and be there for her, he knew that she needed Alexx first before anyone else came into the picture. Alexx was the doctor. She and Alexx shared a very special bond that only women in male dominated professions could understand and share. He flicked his eyes up to Natalia's anguished face, confirming his suspicions. She and Calleigh shared that same kind of bond, though far less developed due to lack of time. He looked up at the blinking neon sign: Wishbone's Southern Fried. He realized that, without consciously doing so, he had brought Natalia to one of his and Calleigh's favorite places to eat.

"Just let me hear from Alexx first before you go over there," Natalia said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Promise me that you'll let Calleigh tell you, herself, about her paralysis. She's having a hard enough time as it is taking it all in."

"She's shaken pretty bad, isn't she?" Eric asked softly, silently vowing to do whatever it took to get Calleigh through her ordeal and whatever came after. He loved her with all his heart; he could do no less than totally commit to her and her recovery.

Natalia nodded as they entered the eatery. "She was fighting for all she was worth when I was with her. I could tell that she wanted to break down and let everything out, but just wouldn't while I sat there."

Eric smiled ruefully and shook his head at the complexity of Calleigh. "She doesn't know you well enough yet. Right now, the only ones that she'll be open enough around are Alexx, me and Horatio."

"I wouldn't say that right now. She wanted me to keep it from everyone at the Lab, especially Horatio, because she knows how guilty he feels at being the one that dumped her in the water to begin with," Natalia said.

Eric perused the menu without really seeing it. He knew what he was going to order. They were good, just not as good as Calleigh's when she made it from scratch. He looked up as the waitress approached. "I'll have the biscuits and gravy with a side of cheesy grits."

Natalia quickly chose. "I'll have the chicken fried steak and greens, please."

They both ordered the specialty sweet tea and, before they could return to their previous conversation, Natalia's cell rang.

"Boa Vista," she said crisply the listened as Alexx filled her in. She made a few yeahs and uh-huhs before closing the connection and returning her attention to Eric. "That was Alexx. Calleigh lost it entirely when Alexx got there. The tests came back completely inconclusive, which means that there's no way of knowing whether Calleigh's current condition is permanent or temporary. She wasn't handling it at all and lost it on Alexx. She exhausted herself and, after a serious talk, can see hope, at least. If you're still going to see her, don't let on that I told you. Let her tell you."

The food arrived, piping hot and fragrant. Eric's mouth watered despite the tight knot in his stomach. "I would never dream of not visiting. I won't say anything; I promise. I know how Cal is. If she's going to tell me, then she will, and only when she's absolutely ready to say it."

Natalia cut into her chicken fried steak. "Thanks, Eric. I had a feeling you'd understand."

ECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECEECECECECECECECECECECECECEC

Eric cautiously pushed Calleigh's door open and gazed at her sleeping form. A rolling tray with empty dinnerware sat nearby. Upset as Calleigh may be, she still had a good appetite. That gave Eric a shred of hope, despite noticing the plastic utensils. The sudden reality of just how physically weakened she must be after her long stretch of unconscious inactivity struck him like a heart punch. Of course she'd be too weakened at first to even lift a normal metal utensil!

But the lack of food on her tray gave him a good feeling, despite the realization of her physical state. He knew that when Calleigh had serious emotional upsets in the past she had lost her appetite entirely and could go for days on nothing more than a few saltines and ginger ale to keep the queasiness of an empty stomach at bay. Whatever Alexx said to her must have been magic to get Calleigh to unclench her worried stomach enough to eat dinner.

He sat down in the bedside chair and watched her sleep, her features, at the moment, peaceful and untroubled. Almost as if she could sense his presence, she stirred, stretching, and opened her eyes. "Hey," she breathed as her eyes focused on him.

"Hola, Querida. Que tal?" he asked.

"I'm okay," she answered sleepily. She stretched again before the reality of her physical state hit her. She quelled her rising panic by remembering Alexx's message of hope. "It's hard being awake."

Eric chuckled. "Yeah. I'm awake all day and I think it's hard."

"Eric, you're cute, but you're such a geek," Calleigh laughed, glad that she awoke to find Eric sitting at her bedside. She couldn't think of anyone else that would have been more welcome, save for her dad, whom she knew was absorbed in a major trial at the moment. It would be a rare occurrence to see him before the verdict was in. She understood completely.

"Hey, geeks get things done: nerds just clog up the Internet," Eric quipped with their private joke and was rewarded with Calleigh's musical laughter. It made his leaden heart lighter in hearing it.

"So, what's the current case?" she asked.

Eric shook his head. "Boring. It really is, Cal. I think all the bad guys are waiting until you come back. I mean it's been really quiet on our shift, even with Michaels filling in for you. He's pretty good. No wonder Night's was so reluctant to loan him out. They insisted on keeping Camden right where he is. I don't blame them."

"Yeah, Camden is solid. How is everyone? I've only seen you, Alexx and Natalia since I woke up," Calleigh asked.

"Happy that you're awake and on the road to recovery. We all can't wait until you come back," Eric said, watching her reaction carefully. "I think Wolfe said that he'll be by tomorrow and I haven't seen Horatio all day. Natalia told me what you did to Stetler. I wish I could have seen it."

"Has it gotten all around the Lab, yet?" Calleigh asked, only half cringing.

Eric nodded. "Everyone knows and it's already becoming a legend."

"Oh, no," she groaned. "Oh well, I guess he'll retaliate sometime by sticking his nose into one of my cases."

"Is there any word on when they'll let you out now that you're well?"

"Not anytime soon. I lost a lot of strength from being out so long and I start physical therapy tomorrow to try and get it back. Eric, I can barely pick up plastic dinnerware and feed myself," Calleigh admitted. "I have no idea of what I can and cannot do just yet or even when I can think about returning to work. It could be a long time."

"That's rough, but I know you'll bounce back," Eric said encouragingly. "Can you take little walks yet?"

"I haven't been out of bed all day and there's no way that I can walk anywhere. I've got a lot of work to do," Calleigh said, trying to avoid telling Eric about her paralysis. She wasn't ready to tell anyone yet and wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

"Well, if I got you a wheelchair, would you be able to go for a little walk?" he asked. "You have to be tired of being cooped up in that bed all day."

"If you really want to know, I'm dying for fresh air. This hospital smell is driving me crazy. At least I have the flowers that y'all sent to help," Calleigh said, ringing the nurses' station. "I don't know if I can go out for a field trip just yet, but we can ask."

Calleigh's swing shift nurse, Evelyn, an attractive African-American woman with a musical voice, entered. "Hey, Calleigh, what do you need?" she asked with a wide, cheerful smile.

Calleigh smiled back. She had liked Evelyn immediately when she nurse came in to introduce herself at the beginning of her shift. "Evelyn, is there any restriction on me taking a wheelchair ride to the patio?"

"Not as far as I know, sweetie. Why? You want a little of romantic alone time with this handsome man?" she teased lightly.

Calleigh turned crimson. "No, but thank you for completely embarrassing me. I'll get you back for this."

Eric stifled laughter. "Cal, that means that I can get you out of this room for a while. Can you find us a chair, uhm...Evelyn?"

"Sure bet," she laughed and exited to corral a wheelchair.

Eric loved to see the healthy blush that painted Calleigh's pale cheeks and decided that he wanted to see more of it. "So, either you think I'm ugly or there is something we need to discuss."

Calleigh's cheeks reddened further. "Eric, I, well, and you see..."

Eric broke into laughter, "Easy, Calleigh. I just like the pink in your cheeks right now. It makes you look healthy. But, on a serious note, I think we might need to talk sometime; when you're better."

Calleigh thought furiously for what he might possibly want to talk about. Then it dawned on her. They, even in the raging fever that had gripped her body, exchanged soft and gentle declarations of love. Her feelings hadn't changed since then, but her cautious nature, coupled with the knowledge that things were not physically right with her at the moment, made her hesitate. The last thing she wanted to do to Eric was saddle him with someone who now had "special needs". It shouldn't be all about her, but all about them. Anything else would be selfish. "Alright."

"Well, look what I found for you," Evelyn said, swinging the wheelchair into the room, breaking the tension a bit. "Now, there's a few ground rules before you take our girl out. First of all, you have to take this blanket with you. I know it's Miami and always summer here, but she hasn't been outside of a climate controlled heated environment in quite a while, so she might feel cold. Missy, you wrap up in that blanket if you feel cold at all, no matter how silly you think you look. Secondly, just to the patio and nowhere else. No extra field trips. It's already been a long day for her and she's going to tire easily right now. And lastly, no wheelchair racing, popping wheelies in the corridors and no donuts on the lawn. Y'all hear me?"

Calleigh fought a grin and glanced at Eric, who looked like he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yes, ma'am, I'll behave myself," Calleigh said somberly.

"And what about you, there, Casanova?"

"Yes, ma'am," Eric said, not really knowing how else to respond. She sounded like his first girlfriend's father on when he picked her up for their first date. The only difference was she wasn't sitting on the front porch cleaning a shotgun.

"Good. Y'all have a nice time. Come in if Calleigh gets too cold or is tired out," Evelyn said with a wicked grin. "Before I go, let me get Calleigh situated in that chair for you."

"Evelyn, I can do it," Eric said.

"I'm sure you can, but moving patients when they can't do it for themselves is part of my job. Now stand back and let me work, sugar," she said as she tossed back the covers and gently lifted Calleigh, placing her into the chair, setting her feet on the rests before stepping back and letting Eric have access.

"Thanks, I think I can take it from here," Eric said, laying the blanket over Calleigh's legs. He stood and pushed her out the open door and down the corridor to the elevator. "She's like a ramped up version of Alexx let loose on the living."

"Stop reading my mind," Calleigh scolded. "She's like Alexx on way too much caffeine, but I think that's why I like her. She reminds me a lot of some of the ladies back home. Southern to the core."

"I think I'd be in serious trouble where you're from," Eric said as he wheeled her outside for the first time in nearly a month.

Calleigh closed her eyes and let the setting sun bathe her face. She breathed in deeply, savoring the scents on the air. It was intoxicating and something that she knew, intellectually, that she'd missed, but until just then, had not realised that since she had awoken she had been craving it the same way she craved fresh fruit. She sighed.

"You okay, Cal?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't smelled fresh air or had sun on my face since you brought me to the Emergency Room. It feels wonderful right now," she said. "I know I'm going to sound a little nuts, but, can we sit in the sun?"

"Since it's setting, sure," Eric said. "I don't want you to get sunburned on top of everything. I don't need Evelyn to tan my hide."

He wheeled her over to a bench in the golden sunset and sat beside her, taking her hand. "I've missed this; I've missed you."

"I heard that you came by every day while I was out. You didn't have to do that, Eric," Calleigh said, reveling in the feel of her hand engulfed by his. It felt so _right_.

He absently brushed her knuckles with his fingertip. "I wanted to. It didn't matter to me that you were unconscious. I just wanted to see you every day. When you get in the habit of it, that's something hard to break. Besides, you visited me every day when I was shot."

"I did," she agreed. "there's something that I think I remember, but I'm not sure because it was so late last night, but, I can't help think that I remember something like pork and mojo sauce. I know that must be a hallucination because that's nowhere on the menu."

Eric laughed. "You had some. My mom made me dinner, but I really just wanted to see you so I took it with me. I was using a dampened washcloth to moisten your lips and you suddenly started to swallow the water. So, I tried something and gave you something to drink with an eyedropper. You were still out, so I didn't want to drown you by trying to give you a cupful all at once. That gave me another idea and I mashed up a little left-over roast pork and mojo and put the paste on your lip. You licked it off pretty quickly. You woke up a little after that."

"I'm not crazy! I did have it. So, your mom's magical mojo brought me around? She ought to patent that stuff and sell it as a cure all," Calleigh said, joining him in the laughter. "No, seriously, Eric, what I do remember seeing as soon as I opened my eyes was you. You had your head on my stomach and..."

"Yeah, well, it had been three weeks and I was more than a little scared. I think I'm allowed," Eric said. "I just couldn't fathom my life without you in it and you being unconscious for so long had me pretty scared that you'd never wake up."

"I know a little bit of that fear, myself. Why do you think I sat at your bedside after surgery?" she admitted.

"Hey, you want to get out of that chair?" he asked, breaking the heaviness in their conversation.

Calleigh's stomach clenched. "Uhm, I don't know. There's no way that I can stand up. I can't even pick up a metal fork right now. I think I'm stuck."

"Nope," Eric said, picking her up and setting her gently on the bench. He sat down next to her and resisted the urge to place his arm around her. "See, problem solved."

"I see," she said before falling silent for a moment. She knew she'd have to be the one to tell him, but she wasn't sure she was ready for it. Calleigh plunged ahead anyway, knowing that the other thing they needed to discuss would depend heavily on how he handled her news. "Eric, there's something that I need to tell you and I'm not sure how to say it."

Eric's heart dropped. Maybe her declaration of love for him was just the product of the high fever she had been suffering from and his feelings for her hadn't actually been reciprocated. "Why don't you just say it and get it over with?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Eric, I'm paralyzed and I don't know if I'll ever be able to use my legs again."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Finding Hope**_

_She nodded and took a deep breath. "Eric, I'm paralyzed and I don't know if I'll ever be able to use my legs again."_

Calleigh couldn't look at him; the sight would be too painful for her. She waited for the inevitable withdrawal and readied herself to be placed back in her wheelchair and taken back to her room. Her heart was already breaking and she clenched her jaw in an effort to still her emotions.

Eric was shocked that she had just blurted it out to him. It had obviously been a difficult thing for her to say and her studious avoidance of eye contact with him told him how much the admission hurt. He placed his arm around her and drew her in. "What did Dr. Santos say?"

Calleigh was momentarily stunned by Eric's reaction. Really, she should have given him more credit and she knew it. Accepting the comfort he was offering, she laid her head on his shoulder. "She doesn't know if it's temporary or permanent or how long it'll last if it is just temporary. It could be hours, days, weeks, months or never. I don't like not knowing."

Eric placed a soft kiss in her hair and felt her move a little closer. "You must be scared. I would be."

"Yeah, I am," she said softly, burying her face in his chest.

He could feel her struggling to maintain her control on her emotions. "I'm here for you, you know that. I'll do anything to help you; I promise."

"Don't promise things that you might not be able to deliver, Eric. Nothing will be the same and I'm not even sure I can go back to the Lab if-"

He hugged her tightly. "Sh-h-h. That's later, not now. Hey, if I got past a bullet in my brain, you can do this."

"This isn't the same thing and I'm not as strong as you. Not right now knowing and not knowing what I do. I don't know if I can handle being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life and have to depend on others to do things that I have always been able to do for myself," she whispered shakily. "And I won't be able to stand the pity in people's eyes."

"Calleigh, if there is anything that bullet taught me is that there's nothing wrong with needing a little help. It's a hard thing to accept, but you can do it," he said, placing a finger beneath her chin and tilting her face up to him, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Do you see pity in my eyes?"

She couldn't avoid looking at him any longer and gazed into his eyes, inwardly wincing, anticipating the pity. She found none. She saw only concern, understanding and...love. Again, in her own despair and misery, she had underestimated the capacity of his heart. "No."

"And you never will unless you let this get the best of you. You're going to want to give up, say it's too hard. It's going to hurt badly some days and feel fine on others. But I know you'll fight because that's what you always do. You wouldn't be the Calleigh I know and love if I couldn't say that about you," Eric said softly. He completely understood where she was at the moment. He had been there a year ago. He had wanted to give up, but she never let him because she wouldn't give up on him. "When it gets too hard or hurts too much, I want you to lean on me and let me be there for you like you were there for me."

"I can't ask that much of you," she whispered, fighting the lump that lodged in her throat. "It's too selfish."

Eric could feel her struggling for control and he tightened his grip on her."You're not asking, Querida, I'm giving. I'm here for you. Today, tomorrow, next week, next year, for the rest of your life. I'm not going anywhere."

"Eric, I can't-"

He moved suddenly and swiftly, placing his arm beneath her knees and drawing her completely into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "You can and you will. I mean it, Calleigh. I'm not going anywhere."

"Eric-"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. She was so exasperatingly independent sometimes. "Don't you get it, Calleigh? I love you and won't leave you no matter what. You say your depending on me for anything isn't fair to me. I say it is fair because I want to be there for you because I love you."

It wasn't the most romantic of places, nor was it the perfect time like how he had dreamed it would be, but he did it anyway. Eric couldn't think of any other way to get his point across to her. He tilted her chin up to him and placed the gentlest of kisses on her lips, silently asking for permission to do more.

Calleigh was stilled as his lips brushed hers. She didn't know what to do. She knew what she wanted but she warred inside herself for permission to let herself have it. She loved him; that much was plain, but was it fair to him? He said it was, but did he even fathom what he was getting into? Before her mind could reason it all out, her body took over and reacted, all instinct. Her hand rose of it's own volition and came to rest on the back of Eric's neck, pressing his head closer, making their lips connect with a more solid contact.

Eric deepened the kiss, only reluctantly leaving her lips when the need for air became too great. "Now do you get it?" he asked, softly peppering her lips with feather light kisses.

She nodded, eyes shut against tears that had formed at his words. She had never felt for anyone what she felt for Eric just then and it overwhelmed her completely, leaving her emotionally bare to him. She should have felt frightened and vulnerable to be that open, but instead she felt safe and loved. Calleigh snuggled into his embrace and nodded. "I love you, too," she whispered hoarsely.

"Now do you believe me when I say that I'm not going anywhere?" Eric asked.

"I do," she answered then shivered as a cool breeze made goosebumps raise on her bare arms.

"Are you cold?" he asked, concerned about her health and stamina.

"Yeah, a little," she said, still reveling in the feel of being in Eric's arms. "But I don't want to go in. I don't want this to end."

Eric rose, placing her back in the wheelchair, wrapping the blanket around her. "It doesn't have to end, Cal. There'll be plenty of time for more later. I promised to bring you back in if you got too tired or too cold. I'm not breaking my promise to Evelyn."

She nodded, knowing he was right. "But you'll stay for a while when we get back in?"

He smiled at her, his heart full. "For as long as you want, Querida."

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Eric switched off the late news and looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms. She looked peaceful and content and he hated to leave her, but he knew that it was already well past time for him to go.

He had been as good as his word and had wheeled Calleigh back to her room, where Evelyn lifted her, settling her back into the bed, making certain her patient was comfortable. She hadn't even bat an eyelash a couple of hours later when she came in to say good night and found the two of them cuddled up together watching the television. She had just cautioned Eric to not keep Calleigh up too late and left for the night. Calleigh had fallen asleep in his arms shortly after that.

Eric slowly and gently slid himself out from under Calleigh, making sure she was comfortable, before placing a soft kiss to her lips and letting himself out.

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Eric paused at Calleigh's door, voices drifting out to him. One was distinctly Calleigh's and the other one was almost so low that he could barely hear it.

"I just don't know yet. I'm having my first therapy session in half an hour," Calleigh said.

There was the sound of a chair scraping back. "Then I'll let you finish your breakfast so you can get to work," Horatio said, standing. "We all miss you, Calleigh, and can't wait until you can come back to the Lab."

"I can't wait to get back," she replied, not looking at him. She hadn't said anything to him about her current state and she wasn't about to until it could no longer be concealed or the shadow of guilt left his eyes every time he looked at her.

Horatio paused and watched her eat for a few moments. "Would you like me to stay for your therapy session? I know they can be kind of hard."

"No, I'm fine, Horatio, really. Eric is coming by to give me some moral support," she said around a mouthful of scrambled egg. Despite all the emotional upheaval she had undergone since regaining consciousness, her appetite, once so dependent on her mood, was entirely ravenous. "He should be here soon."

Taking that as his cue, Eric pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Good morning you two."

Calleigh's face lit like the sunrise. "Hey, Eric."

Horatio couldn't help but notice the change in the way that they looked at each other and wondered briefly what had gone on between them. "I'll, uhm, I'll get going now. Take good care of our girl, Eric. I'll see you tomorrow."

Eric flashed him a grin. "Will do, H," he said as he took up residence on the chair that Horatio had just left. He waited until the sound of Horatio's footsteps faded away before leaning over and kissing Calleigh. "That's how I wanted to say good morning."

Calleigh grinned at him. "That's how I like good mornings to be. So, I take it that we're keeping this to ourselves for the time being."

"For now, at least until you're allowed to go home," Eric said, watching her eat. "I take it that you haven't told Horatio about your legs yet."

"No, and I don't intend to for a while. I want to see what happens first and I really can't take the look of guilt in his eyes every time he looks at me. I've tried to tell him that it's not his fault and that he isn't responsible for me landing up here, but he won't listen. Alexx said that she tried to talk to him, but I don't think he really heard her," Calleigh said as the door opened and a tall, slender woman with dark hair cut asymmetrically, entered.

"Hi, I'm Jenny Curry, the physical therapist. You must be Calleigh,' she said, approaching the bed and holding out her hand.

Calleigh shook it. "Nice to meet you. I thought we weren't doing anything for another half an hour."

"We're not. I just wanted to sit and talk to you for a few minutes before you come down to the P.T. room," Jenny said, then turning her attention to the handsome man sitting at her patient's bedside. "Are you coming along?"

"That was the plan. I'm Eric Delko, her partner," he said, the emphasis on the word "partner" suddenly taking a different meaning. "It's not a problem to have someone else there?"

"No, not at all. In fact, Calleigh will be sharing her time with another patient of mine. He's pretty independent and won't mind the joint session at all. I'll have to warn you, he's a little Latin lover and goes for older women."

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Calleigh was wheeled into the physical therapy room and just spent the first few seconds looking around. To her, it looked like the combination of a high tech workout room and playground. "Wow," she breathed.

Jenny grinned at her. "You like?"

"This is an amazing set up. What's first?" Calleigh asked.

"Slow down there, speedy. I want to get a complete assessment of your capabilities right now and then I can set up a therapy schedule for you. I'm going to be seeing you every day, so I hope we're going to get along," Jenny said as the door opened and a young boy drove his motorized wheelchair in. Attached to the chair appeared to be some sort of personal computer.

He stopped his chair and hit the screen. "Hi Jenny," the computer said for him.

"Hey there, stud muffin. Come meet somebody." She waited until he stopped and smiled over at Calleigh. "This is Calleigh. She's going to be sharing some of your sessions. Today is her first day, so go easy on her."

He kept smiling cheerfully and tapped the computer screen again. "Hi, my name is Oscar and I'm 10 years old." He tapped the screen a couple more times. "You're very pretty."

Calleigh felt herself blush. "Thanks Oscar. It's nice to meet you. That's a pretty neat keyboard."

He tapped a few times. "It is a DynaVox 4. It talks for me because I can't. I have CP and can't speak."

"You sound fine to me," Calleigh said. "I'm ready to get to work, how about you?"

"Yes."

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She was completely exhausted as she lay on the massage table, letting Jenny rub her legs down. They actually hurt. She hadn't made them do anything, but Jenny had put her in a wheeled contraption that she called a "stander", which lived up to it's name. For the first time since being admitted to the hospital, Calleigh stood on her own two feet. Jenny had placed Oscar in his and he showed her how to manipulate the wheels to get around. They, along with Jenny and Eric, had played a brief game of wheelchair/stander tag before the time was up. She whimpered as Jenny hit a particularly painful spot.

"Sorry about that, Calleigh. There's a lot of muscular contracture here and I want to get it all smoothed out before I get you back into that chair again. You haven't used these legs in a while and the muscle tone is pretty poor," Jenny said.

"Do you think I'll ever get their use back?" Calleigh asked.

Jenny dug her fingertips into Calleigh's right calf as she answered. "I don't know just yet. I need more time to assess your situation. Anything is possible. Dr. Santos thinks you might have a shot of regaining the use of your legs if you keep having the muscles stimulated. I think that's a great plan. That's why the stander is going to be a regular part of your session here. You're also going to get massage and hydrotherapy every day in addition to rebuilding your upper body strength. You have a lot of work to do, but I'll help you every step of the way."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Thank you all for being so patient while I shook off the writers' block on this chapter. I know where I want the story to go, but I'm having road blocks while getting there. My updates might be a little slower for a while until I get things going smoothly. I just don't want to bore anyone with repetitive stuff. **_

_**Healing Pains**_

Eric sat toying with a few locks of Calleigh's hair as she slept and thought about the physical therapy session that he had helped her through. He genuinely liked Jenny and little Oscar reminded him of himself at ten, minus the Cerebral Palsy. The kid already had Calleigh wrapped around his little finger.

He thought back on their game of Tag and how both Oscar and Calleigh laughed so hard that they could barely maneuver their standers. Eric decided that Oscar was a good example for Calleigh, and, although he was young enough to be Calleigh's own son, a positive role model for her. He just seemed like the kind of kid that didn't let his different abilities be a disability and seemed to throw himself into life in general. He would be a godsend on the days when Calleigh would be down on herself. Eric had no illusions about how Calleigh would be feeling as hours ran into days and days ran into weeks, or months and her legs didn't improve. He knew that the longer it took for her legs to respond to stimulus, the more despondent she'd be. Eric had a feeling that Oscar wouldn't let Calleigh give up because he never did.

Lost in thought, Eric didn't notice that Calleigh had opened her eyes.

"Hey there; where are you?" she asked and then let out a low groan as a new and painful awareness of her legs became present.

"Just thinking. What's wrong?"

Calleigh bit her lip. "My legs hurt. I guess the P.T. was more strenuous than I thought."

"You worked really hard, Cal. I'd be surprised if they didn't hurt a little," Eric said with an air of knowledge.

Calleigh shook her head. "Eric, they don't just hurt a little, they hurt a lot. They hurt a whole lot. It's like a severe Charlie Horse all over; you know, the kind that can wake you up in the middle of the night."

Eric frowned and ran his hands up and down her legs. "Your muscles are as hard as rocks; no wonder they hurt like they do. Do you want me to try and massage them into relaxing?"

"I don't-yes, please," Calleigh said, allowing herself to be somewhat selfish. She needed help because if her muscles didn't relax soon, she would be forced to shred her pillows in pain.

Eric began a very careful and cautious massage, remembering clearly what Jenny did several hours previous. "In the mean time, why don't you call the nurses' station and see if you can get a muscle relaxant?"

It almost killed her to admit it."Yeah," Calleigh replied, pressing the button.

Within a few moments, Evelyn entered, looking concerned. "What do you need, sugar?"

"Her leg muscles are spasming and she's in a lot of pain. Do you have anything to help her?" Eric asked, speaking for Calleigh, who had now broken out into a cold sweat and was furiously clenching her jaw.

"Dr. Santos thought this might happen after physical therapy. I'll be right back with some help," Evelyn said in a most reassuring tone.

Eric leaned over. "Alright, Cal, help is coming. Can you hold on a little longer?"

"Yeah; just keep massaging. It's helping," she replied, her extreme discomfort evident in her voice.

Eric's voice was soft and soothing. "You know, this could be a good sign. It means that you worked your legs today. You really stimulated those muscles and now they're tired and reacting to the exercise. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't a normal thing until you start regaining your muscle tone and strength in your legs. How did it feel to be in the stander?"

"It was wonderful, Eric," Calleigh recounted. "I was standing on my own two feet and I felt so free and capable of doing anything. I could get around on my own and it just felt so _good_."

Eric nodded, remembering his own physical therapy sessions. "It does feel great when you don't feel so helpless, doesn't it? You just feel like you again."

"That's exactly it!" she cried as the door opened and Evelyn entered with a small pill and a glass of water.

"Okay, sweetie, this is what's going to happen: I'm going to give you 5mg. of Flexeril. This is a very potent muscle relaxant and it's going to make you hopelessly sleepy, which is fine because your muscles tend to relax as you sleep. This is a very low dosage, so you don't have to worry about an overdose. You should become extremely sleepy after a while and I recommend that you let go and fall asleep. Don't fight it."

Calleigh eyed the pill. "That's it?"

"That's all you're going to need. Sugar, you're not that big and this will knock you out hard. I'm just going to say good night now because this is the last time tonight I'll check in on you while you're awake," Evelyn said sagely as Calleigh swallowed the pill and downed the water. She stroked Calleigh's silky hair. "You just close your eyes because it won't be long now."

Eric continued his gentle massage while keeping Calleigh's mind occupied with a catch-up session of the things that she missed since being hospitalized, coming, finally, to the present day. "Ryan said he would stop by today after his shift ends."

"Mmm-hmm," Calleigh breathed, feeling the sedating effects of the medication. She felt slightly out of it and floaty. It wasn't an entirely unwelcome sensation as it made her forget about how much her legs hurt. She did focus on, however, how good Eric's hands felt as he manipulated her leg muscles. The less controlled and more suppressed part of her that was freed from restraint by the medication wondered if his hands could make other parts of her feel as good as he was making her legs feel.

"Drifting off," he asked.

Hmm," she sighed, her eyes fluttering shut. She felt a feather light kiss brush her lips.

"Good night, Querida," Eric's voice said. He continued to massage her legs until the previously bunched and hard muscles were soft and pliable beneath his fingers. He knew that he didn't miraculously relax her. He knew that it was the medication, he just helped it along a little. With a soft sigh, he slipped the blanket up over Calleigh's legs and tucked her in.

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Ryan pushed the door open. "Hey, Delko," he stage whispered to a dozing Eric.

Eric startled to wakefulness. "Wolfe."

Ryan entered and let the door shut behind him. "How long has she been out?"

"A while. I doubt she'll be up at all while you're here. They gave her meds that knocked her out," Eric replied, rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.

"What happened?" Ryan asked, taking Calleigh's free hand and cradling it in his own.

Eric suppressed a surge of jealousy toward someone he knew to be his friend. "She had her first physical therapy session today and she was having a bad reaction to it. She was in serious pain, man; muscle spasms and all."

"Wow; I didn't know. Did she say how her session went?" Ryan asked, sympathetic hazel eyes trained on Calleigh's peaceful face.

"I was there and it went really well. Her therapist, Jenny, is great and she shared her session with a kid with CP. He really kept Calleigh going and I think he was good for her. She worked her butt off and now she's paying for it with the spasms. But at least she's not in pain anymore. They gave her Flexeril, which packs a serious punch. I ought to know. When I sprained my shoulder playing for the 'Canes in college, the doc gave me that to stop the spasms. Life was pretty surreal...what little I can remember of it, anyway," Eric said, bringing Ryan up to speed on the situation. "Anyway, I should get going and let you have your time."

"Delko, I'd rather not. I mean, the last time I sat with her alone she almost went into a coma for weeks. Can you keep me company?" Ryan said, cheeks coloring slightly with embarrassment.

A light chuckle, but not an unkind one. "Yeah, I'll stay."

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Calleigh awoke to bright sunlight and a friendly smile. "Hey, Jenny. What are you doing here? Did I oversleep?"

"No. I came in to check on you. Eric left a message to let me know that you were suffering from severe muscle spasms last night because of the therapy. I am so sorry, Calleigh. That was the point of the massage. Maybe we should add a little ultrasound to it to try and short circuit the pain," Jenny said gently.

Calleigh shifted. "What do you make of it?"

"The pain? I'm not exactly sure. You've been non-mobile for a prolonged period, lost some weight, muscle tone and strength in your legs and you worked pretty hard yesterday. It could just be an automatic muscular response to sudden usage or it could mean things are waking up. We'll need more time to figure this out. Yesterday was just one day. Let's have a few more to see what's going on," Jenny said kindly. "Actually, I'm here to see how you're doing on your upper body strength and motor skills."

Calleigh raised the head of the bed until she was in an upright position. "My co-ordination is pretty good. I mean I haven't tried writing anything, but I can feed myself just fine. Tying knots and bows hasn't been explored or anything like that. But strength...I think we need to work on it. I'm using plastic utensils because the metal ones haven't been working."

"Too heavy for now?"

Calleigh nodded, feeling slightly disheartened. She really did have a long way to go before she'd be allowed to go home. Her hospital tab must be in the hundred thousands and the county was picking up the bill. "Too heavy."

"Remember, it's a for now and not a forever," Jenny said with a smile as Calleigh's breakfast tray was brought in. She handed her heavier plastic utensils. "Try these; they have a bit more weight to them than the ones they've been giving you. If they get too heavy after a while, we can switch. One step at a time."

Jenny helped Calleigh position herself so that she could eat in comfort, eyebrows raising when she saw what was on her patient's plate. "That's not on the menu."

"It's Dr. Santos' orders. I am to get whatever I want if it'll help me put weight back on. I've never been an unhealthy eater, so I'm not worried about too much too soon. I know that muscles and tendons need a protein rich diet to build strength and stay healthy so most of my protein is coming in the form of nuts and legumes, eggs, fish, especially salmon, and lean meats," Calleigh explained, seriously impressing Jenny with her knowledge.

"Where'd you learn all that? Last time I checked, that wasn't required knowledge for a CSI," she said.

Calleigh swallowed. "I dated a nutrition major in college, not to mention that I play...played rugby and understand when the body wants protein, it wants protein."

"You said 'played' rugby. When did you stop playing?" Jenny asked.

"When I found out that I can't move my legs," Calleigh said softly, spoon making circles in her cheesy grits. "You can't play rugby if you can't run."

Jenny stilled the circling movement by placing her hand over Calleigh's. When she spoke, her voice was soft and full of compassion. "Hey, one step at a time. There are other ways than basic physical therapy to stimulate muscles and we're going to work with those, too. I know that whenever you let yourself think about it for too long you can get really down. I've seen that happen with other patients and it's an understandable way to feel. I'm going to do my best to give you the best shot at regaining the use of your legs."

Calleigh gave her a soft smile. "Thanks for that. I think I'm just impatient right now to be back to the way I was before I got sick. Having such a huge reminder that getting things back is going to take time just gets to me. I hate being sick."

Jenny smiled back at her. "I can understand that. I have one question, though. What is that gooey cheese and what are those little red chunks in your omelette?"


	19. Chapter 19

_**Hey everyone! Thank you so much for being patient as I had to put this aside in favor of getting all the end of the school year stuff finished. Tests done, grades in and end of the year party partied. All that's left is to hand out the report cards and let them loose on the summer. **_

_**Obstacles in Recovery**_

The physical therapy room was empty, save for Calleigh. Jenny had gone to pick up a new patient and would return shortly with them before seeing Calleigh back to her room. It had been a dismal session in a week full of dismal sessions as her body fought her every effort to improve. Over the last few weeks, Calleigh had gotten back all of her strength and manual dexterity in her hands and arms; her fingers already itching for latex gloves, her comparison microscope and the sweet weight of her service pistol in her hands. The only thing holding her back were her legs. They refused to budge. She could still feel them, but they refused every command she gave them. Hope was slipping away fast when she began her therapy session and had nearly disappeared by the end of it.

She slumped defeatedly in her wheelchair as the first lone tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away and fought the torrent that she knew was coming. As the minutes ticked on, she found herself losing the battle as more and more tears escaped her will. Finally, she buried her face in her hands and let it go, her body shaking, wracked with sobs. She didn't want to be that way, but she couldn't help how she felt. Calleigh wanted to be the normal, strong steel-willed self she had been before the meningitis took over, but found it increasingly hard as each day dawned. She felt like an utter cry-baby, not the formidable, indomitable, Southern Steel Magnolia that everyone knew her to be. She felt weak, helpless and vulnerable in her wheelchair and that shook her to her core. Why didn't she feel strong enough to overcome the obstacle? She had no idea.

Lost in her depression and most sound drowned out by her sobs, she didn't hear the door open and the soft sound of a motorized wheelchair enter. Suddenly, a soft and gentle hand touched her shoulder. It conveyed such a level of understanding and compassion that it made her look up at who was radiating such feelings. Her blurry green eyes met Oscar's deep, dark chocolate ones.

"Bad day?" his computer generated voice asked. "Or is it more like a bad week?"

"Bad week," Calleigh replied, trying to pull herself together. Crying in front of someone that had it so much harder than she ever would made her feel so utterly selfish. "I'm sorry, Oscar."

Oscar gave her a look that she'd expect from someone much older. "No. You have had a bad time. It makes you upset and sad. I understand. I do not always have good sessions. It makes me mad and upsets me and I can not think of anything but how bad I feel. You feel bad like that, I bet, and you can cry in front of me. I will not tell anyone. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can not be brave or cheerful anymore."

Calleigh's eyes filled again. "No, you're right. I can't today. It's just been so bad this week. Nothing I can do is right and I feel terrible about it. I feel horrible crying about it when I know that there are others that have it harder, like you."

Oscar shook his head. "You are wrong, Calleigh. I do not know what it is to walk on my own without help of a walker. I have never run anywhere. I do not know what it feels like. But I can guess from what I have read. I would love to feel it just once. You know these things and now you can not do them. I think that it is harder knowing and once being able to do them and then, suddenly have that taken away, than never knowing what it was like at all," Oscar said sagely. "I think that would hurt more than anything."

Nodding in agreement, Calleigh wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Oscar, when did you get so wise? I don't know of many kids your age that are so mature in their thinking as you are."

Oscar gave her a grin. "It is amazing when you can not speak, but have so many things to say. People thought I was an idiot and an infant because I can not speak with my mouth and can only make sounds that do not make any sense. I am just as smart as any ten year old. I got my DynaVox in first grade and had to learn how to use it. I had a good aide, then, and she helped me to use it more and more in class and again in Speech. I learned that this is not a toy, but a tool and it was going to be my voice as long as my mouth could not speak. It had to help me tell my thoughts and feelings. I learned to type words and then hit the speak command and let the DynaVox tell the world my thoughts. When you are locked inside of yourself, you hear everything that everyone says around you and you think a lot and you grow up very fast in some ways."

Calleigh sat back, thinking about what he had just said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've really never thought about it before. That must have driven you crazy, not being able to tell anyone what you're thinking or that you even knew the answer in class. You said that people thought you were an idiot because you can't talk with your mouth. They must have seriously underestimated you."

"They pissed me off," Oscar said, scowling.

"Excuse me, but aren't you a little young for that language?" Calleigh scolded.

Oscar gave her a wicked grin. "The rule always was that if I could spell it and knew what it meant, I could say it. I don't use that language in school, even if my classmates say worse. But we are talking like friends and I can use that word with you. I was really pissed that some people treated me like a baby. Some of my own classmates would sometimes pat me on the head like a dog. I hated that. When I got my aide in first grade, she understood that and told them to stop because I was a boy and not a dog. Outside of my kindergarten teacher, she was the first person outside my family to get that I am smart."

"I can relate on that. I'm petite and blonde-"

"And very pretty," Oscar added.

Calleigh blushed. "Okay...and lots of people think I'm just a dumb blonde."

Oscar was annoyed that anyone should think that his friend was anything but intelligent. "But you are not. You are smart and funny and kind. Jenny said that you are super good in math and can do physics. She said that you had a college degree in Physics. I looked that up on the Internet and that stuff is hard. You have to be awesome smart to do that. Jenny told me that you are a police detective and you use science to solve crimes. I like science and I think that using it to put the bad guys in jail is a cool thing."

"The science geek in me thanks you," Calleigh said, smiling for the first time. "My friend, Eric, and I have this joke that we made up, but I think you'll get it, too. We always say that: geeks solve problems, but nerds clog up the Internet."

Oscar let out a loud laugh, completely getting the joke. "Can I tell that joke to my friends in school? I'm in gifted science and I think Kjell, my best friend, would almost pee on himself laughing." At Calleigh's skeptical look, Oscar continued, "No, he really will. He does not have CP, but some muscle thing like it and sometimes he can not control his muscles down there and he will go to the bathroom on himself. He wears pull-ups so it's not embarrassing. His body is slow but his brain is smart. We have been best friends since first grade."

Calleigh smiled gently at him. Everyone deserved a best friend in their lives; somebody that totally 'got' them. Oscar had Kjell and Calleigh, despite the relationship evolving into something more a few weeks back, had Eric. "Eric is my best friend."

"I thought he was your boyfriend," Oscar said.

"Well, yes, he is, but we started out as best friends and then fell in love. Squishy, huh?" Calleigh explained.

"Kind of, but I like a girl in my class and she is a really good friend. Her name is Melissa and I really, really like her. She does not think I am stupid and we like a lot of the same things. She is really pretty and has long, black hair that she always wears in a ponytail that bounces when she runs," Oscar said with a dreamy look on his face.

Calleigh stifled every urge in her to express how cute she thought it was. "I can see that you like her more than just a lot. Do you think that she likes you in the same way?"

"Maybe. I do not know. I like her so much that I think I might want to kiss her. Should I kiss her, Calleigh?" Oscar asked, eerily mirroring her own dance around her feelings for Eric.

"Personally, I think that you both are too young to think about kissing just yet. But, in case you're actually ready for it, I think that you need to find out if she likes you the same way. If you're going to ask me how to do that, don't ask. I just went through the same thing with Eric and it was confusing. I still don't get how we got where we are. I'm just glad we're here," Calleigh explained. "I wouldn't worry about the kissing yet, anyway. Just enjoy being friends."

"I am glad I talked to you about it. I can not talk to my aide about it and my sister, Gabby, would laugh and call it cute," Oscar said with a full eye roll and a raspberry that made Calleigh laugh.

Right then the doors swung open and in Jenny came, wheeling a young girl, perhaps fifteen or so. She was a pretty African-American girl. "Calleigh, Oscar, this is Sarah. She got hit by a car and needs a little rehab work. Why don't I let you two get acquainted while I wheel Calleigh back to her room?"

"Just a minute," Calleigh said, maneuvering her chair next to Oscar's. She leaned over and gave him a hug and a light kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for everything. I owe you, pal."

Oscar was bright crimson and had a goofy look on his face. "I think I'm in love."

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Eric lounged comfortably on Calleigh's bed while he waited for her to return from therapy. He hadn't thought that he'd be there as early as he had, but the conclusion of the case and the paperwork had gone quickly and smoothly which allowed Eric to clock out right on time. He was just about to turn the television on when Calleigh was wheeled in. It only took the briefest of looks at her for him to tell that something was wrong.

"Hey, Eric!" Calleigh exclaimed brightly, surprised to find him waiting for her. She thought she'd have a couple of hours to compose herself into a reasonable facsimile of a good mood before he'd stop by. "I didn't expect you so soon."

"Case wrapped up early so I thought I'd drop by now so we could do the quality time thing," he replied, sliding off the bed. He caught a glint of metal beneath her pajama bottom leg as Jenny helped her into the bed. He lifted the pant edge to get a better look. "What's this?"

Jenny quickly intervened before Calleigh had to try and explain anything. It was nearly completely devastating when she had to put them on Calleigh the first time at the beginning of the week. It didn't matter that they were for her own good. They just drove her hope farther away. "They're leg braces. Calleigh's feet were beginning to turn in a little and I didn't like it, so I ordered her up a pair of braces that she needs to wear if we're not working. These will help her keep her feet straight by stretching those specific muscles. It'll keep them more supple and she'll be in less pain after using them."

Eric listened to Jenny's words, his own heart sinking a little more. It seemed to be yet another indication that Calleigh wasn't going to get any better and H had better set the changes in motion to refit her lab. "So, they're only therapeutic?"

"Completely," Jenny said. "Calleigh, get ready to be dunked in the drink tomorrow. Will you be coming, too, Eric?"

Eric nodded, sitting at Calleigh's side. "Yeah, yeah I will. See you then."

"Tomorrow at four," Jenny said, exiting and heading back down to her patients.

Eric sidled up and put his arm around Calleigh, surprised that she didn't lean into him or put her head on his shoulder. "Querida, why didn't you tell me?"

Calleigh's only answer was to shake her head and shrug. She couldn't look at him and all she wanted to do was hide. The more positive mood that Oscar had put her in had evaporated the minute Eric saw the braces. She looked down and away, allowing her hair to curtain herself off from him. She had tried so hard to keep up the brave front so that he wouldn't worry about her, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it just then. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from crying in front of him.

Eric's heart was breaking. He knew why she didn't tell him. She was embarrassed and afraid. That she seemed to be shutting down on him right before his eyes was yet another seriously bad sign. He pulled her to him, gently cupping her cheek, turning her face toward his. "Calleigh, look at me. Didn't we agree that we wouldn't hide things from each other? Why did you insist on going through that alone? You never had to, you know. All you had to do is say one word and I'd have been here. You are not alone, Calleigh and don't think I don't want to share everything with you. I'm not here just for the good stuff, Querida. I'm here for the bad stuff, the frightening stuff and the painful stuff, too. I just wish you'd believe that."

"I do," she whispered shakily. "I'm just used to doing things and handling things on my own. I don't want me or my issues to be a burden to you. You have your own issues and your own therapy to deal with. You shouldn't have to shoulder mine, too."

"You're right, I shouldn't have to. I want to. When are you going to get it through that thick southern skull of yours that I love you and I'm not going anywhere, no matter what?" Eric said.

"But-" Calleigh began, but was cut completely off by Eric's lips on hers. He was gentle at first, becoming more insistent as he felt Calleigh respond. She slid her arms around him and pulled him closer, one hand coming to rest on the back of his head, firming the already hungry kiss. Her other arm snaking around his ribs, pulling him closer, demanding more physical contact.

Eric let his fingers caress her back through her t-shirt, teasing with gentleness while his lips bruised hers. He left her mouth only to kiss a small trail down her neck, leaving her gasping with every feather light touch. He lifted her hair, pulling it out of his way, gently suckling the sensitive spot behind one ear and was rewarded by a low moan. Continuing to gently suckle her neck, he allowed his hands to explore where they would, feeling the curve of her hips to the smallness of her waist, to the newly rebuilt muscle over her slender ribcage. Eric could feel her breath quicken with every new exploration.

_Good thing she's not on a heart monitor _anymore, he thought as his hands began to stray upward from her ribcage to just skirt the under swell of her breasts.

"Eric," she breathed, her voice husky. "Stop. Hospital room. It's very public and if you go much further, you're going to need to finish what you started and it'll be entirely awkward if someone walked in on us."

With extreme reluctance, Eric pulled back, knowing that she was right. "You won't have that excuse when you get out of here," he said, liking the brightness, the fire in her green eyes.

She gave him a coy look. "Well, there's something to look forward to."

"Hey Lambchop! My court case is over and I thought-" Kenwall said as he entered her room to find his daughter all flushed and bright eyed and her young man, Eric, looking like he wanted to do more than just sit on the bed with her. "Did I interrupt something?"

He was thoroughly puzzled when they burst out laughing.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Explanations**_

Stetler strode down the Lab's main hall. In his hand he held a remodeling requisition. Normally he wouldn't even have noticed it, but it called for a complete refit of the firearms lab and firing range. It made no sense to him since the Lab had been completely redone not more than two years prior.

"Horatio," he called out, seeing the red haired man exit Tox. "I need to ask you a few questions."

Horatio stopped, doing his best to squelch his annoyance with the man. He had kept his word and had steered clear of the Lab while Calleigh had been recovering. "What is it now, Rick? I thought you said you'd leave the Lab alone while Calleigh was out. She's still not back."

"I know that. I just am curious as to why you've requested a complete remodeling of her lab and firing range," Rick said. "She is coming back, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's coming back as soon as her doctors clear her to go back to work. She almost died, Rick; let's not forget that," Horatio reminded him.

"But what's the remodeling for?"

"She'll need accommodations if she's to continue doing her job in the exemplary manner that she's always performed." Horatio took a deep breath, dreading the possible reaction. "The meningitis left her partially paralyzed. She's in a wheel chair and it might be permanent. The doctors still don't know for sure. So, while she's waiting for her clearance to return to work, I'm asking for her lab to be refit in case she's permanently in a wheel chair. Just because her legs don't work, it doesn't mean that she can't do her job."

"She can't be in the field anymore. She knows that, right?" Stetler said, trying to wrap his mind around the new information.

"She's completely aware of it. Listen, when she comes back I need you to cut her some slack. She's doing a lot of adjusting right now and it's going to take a while for her to get used to doing her job from a seated position," Horatio said. He hated to ask for favors from Stetler, but he knew that Calleigh would need every bit of understanding she could get. That she could do her job wasn't in question; her view of herself and her own self-confidence and self-assuredness was.

Rick thought back to first seeing Calleigh lying so pale and fragile in that hospital bed. That she'd completely freaked him out was beside the point. Like Horatio said, she had nearly died. He had done quite a bit of reading about her type of meningitis and he knew she was unusually lucky to get off as light as she did. As far as he was concerned, it was a near miracle that she lived at all. She was so feisty and quick witted that it was hard for him to believe that she'd need gentle handling at first, but, he knew that when someone went through a dramatic ordeal like the one Calleigh had, it could change them in all sorts of ways.

Rick nodded, concern and understanding in his voice. "Agreed. She can't be having an easy time of it. I know I certainly wouldn't. I'm sorry this happened to her. I know how much she loves being out in the field. How is she, really, Horatio? I'm not trying to find something to use against her in the future. I can see how out of sorts thing seem to be without her around here. This lab needs her."

Horatio's eyebrows rose in surprise. He hadn't expected Rick to be so generous about anything that touched the crime lab. _Right, there was a time when we were friends. He had been a decent guy, then. _He shrugged. "She's putting up a brave front but I know she's struggling. It's seriously undermined her independence and she's having a hard time with that. She's used to doing things on her own and this is hard for her. She's doing her best. I think that coming back to work will do her a world of good in that area. That's why I want everything refit to accommodate her in her chair. Independent living is going to be hard enough. I don't want those same challenges to face her here."

"I agree. I won't challenge the refit or the second refit should her paralysis be temporary. Horatio, I'm not unfeeling. I respect Ms. Duquesne and her ability to do her job. When she falls far short of what she has proven to do is when I ride her. This will not be one of those times. You have my word on it."

"Rick, Rick, that is very decent of you. Thank you," Horatio said, still stunned. He watched the IAB officer walk back down the hallway and stop at the elevators before getting on and disappearing from view.

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"Come on, Querida, you can do this," Eric encouraged as Calleigh fought to sink her floating legs in the water. He could see the intense concentration on her face as she worked.

Shifting wearily, she leaned back on him, panting, laying her head back onto his shoulder and closing her eyes. "No, it's not working. I need a break."

"Sure," Jenny said as she turned the jets on so that even while relaxing, Calleigh's muscles would be stimulated by the hot tub. "You're getting discouraged, aren't you?"

"Hell yes I am," Calleigh exclaimed. "The days are dragging on to weeks and I'm due to be released in a couple of days and still nothing is happening. My feet are even beginning to turn inward and I've had to have braces on my legs. How do you think that makes me feel? I'm really not seeing the point in this anymore. My upper body is as strong as it ever was. My legs aren't going to work again. They're just not and I need to deal with that."

Eric placed a gentle kiss in her hair. "Don't say that, mi amor. There's always hope. Even Doctor Santos can't say for sure and she's an expert."

"Yeah, sure," her tone was harsh, skeptical.

"You know what my Tio Juan always says? 'While there's life, there's hope'. He was held by Castro's regime for nearly 20 years before getting free and escaping to America. If there's anyone in the world who understands the need to keep hope alive, it's my Tio Juan," Eric said, picturing the white haired uncle that he didn't get to know until just before he joined the Crime Lab. "Cal, he could have just given up and died, but he didn't. He was tortured and brutalized just because it was his turn. His stories would horrify you, yet he believed that things would one day change and, they did. I know it's hard, but you have to keep hoping."

Calleigh sighed. "A part of me wants to keep fighting, but another part of me is telling me that I just have to face it. That this is how it's going to be from now on and I need to make my peace with it and move on. Horatio came by this morning and let me know that he's having my Lab refitted to accommodate the wheel chair. He said that it should be finished by the time I'm cleared to come back."

Eric sighed softly at the uncannily bad timing Horatio had lately. Didn't he understand how hard this was for Calleigh? "It's just that everyone is looking forward to having you back. You wouldn't believe how badly you're missed."

"I don't know if I want to come back, Eric. It won't be the same and I don't want the pitying looks. I don't want the extra help and I certainly don't want to be chained to the Lab while you all go out into the field," Calleigh said with brutal honesty. "Horatio may have just done all of that for nothing."

"Well, what are you going to do then? Just lay down and die somewhere because your legs don't work? Calleigh, you're alive and have survived an infection that is almost always 100 fatal," Eric exploded, angered by Calleigh's apparent depression and his own inability to pull her out of it. "You can't give up."

Calleigh floated in the water for a long time, allowing the jets to massage her body. Finally, she drew herself off of Eric and away from the soothing physical contact. She held onto the edge of the tub, pulling herself as far from him as she could. Resting her cheek on her hands, she gazed down at her motionless legs and tried to force them under the water. She fought with everything in her until she was panting and exhausted. Yet she fought on, drawing herself up on the side until her arms supported the weight of her body. Abdominal muscles taught, she willed her legs to obey her, even just a little, and sink themselves below her body. Nothing. She could feel nothing moving at all.

Eric and Jenny watched her internal struggle as she floated by herself at the tub's edge. Eric knew that she was angry at herself, him, the injustice of the world, the meningitis and quite possibly the Everglades themselves. He could see it in every line of her body as she processed everything that went on in the last few minutes. He could have cheered as Calleigh raised herself up on her hands like a gymnast on the uneven parallel bars. He watched her muscles ripple beneath her creamy skin as she balanced herself so perfectly. Eric held his breath, watching her legs for any sign of movement beneath the water's edge. With the jets going, it was hard to see if there was anything, any movement. He thought that, perhaps there was, but he couldn't be certain. When Calleigh collapsed against the side of the tub with a miserable sob, he knew that he couldn't have seen anything.

Eric went to her and attempted to draw her into his arms, but she shrugged him off. "What?"

Her voice was so soft that he wasn't sure she had actually spoken. "Why didn't you let me go?"

"Go? Go where?" Eric asked, genuinely puzzled. "Calleigh, you're scaring me. Talk to me Querida."

Her voice was broken by badly controlled sobs. "Eric, I love you so much. I do but I don't know how to do this. I don't think I can. I'm scared. I'll be a burden to everyone around me; to you, my dad, Horatio, Alexx...everyone. I don't want to be that. Special accommodations; special allowances. I don't want anyone to work twice as hard because of me. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't survived. You'd have gotten a replacement for me in the Lab and life would have moved on. You should have just let me go."

Eric felt the anger well in him again."Do you think you're that easily replaced? Yeah, someone else can do your job but no one can replace you in any of our lives. Why in God's name do you think we've all been visiting you every day; out of pity or morbid curiosity? No. None of your friends have abandoned you because we love you. _I_ love you but right now you're making it very hard to do. Calleigh I know you're angry and scared and in a sort of mourning. I get it. I do. How do you think I felt after being shot in the head and had to relearn how to read, how to write my name? I was angry and scared and I was mourning things that I never thought I'd get back. But you never abandoned me. You stayed and helped whenever and wherever you could because you loved me. Don't ever say that any one of us should have let you die just because you're scared."

Eric paused to see if his words had any affect on her. She still had her back to him and small sniffles could be heard above the bubbling. She gave no indication at all that what he said made her change her mind. He hated to see her like this, but he knew that he couldn't snap her out of it. She had to do it herself. "If you want to give up, that's your thing. Go ahead and crawl into a corner and finish whatever it is that you're doing to yourself. I saw you fight like I've never seen you fight before just now and now you want to give up. Make up your mind; fight or give up. I still love you with everything in me, but I'm done with this roller coaster. My heart can't handle it."

He moved to get out of the water, noticing for the first time that Jenny had left them alone. That's when he heard it. Her voice was so soft and small that he thought it might have been just wishful thinking.

"I'm scared. Help me." She had turned away from the side of the tub and faced him, her eyes reddened. "Please."

Eric got out of the water and crossed to her side while Calleigh pulled herself up on the edge like she had done earlier. She twisted her torso and slid out of the water to sit on the side. He sat down next to her, wrapping a towel around her before allowing himself to hold her.

Calleigh snuggled into his embrace and gathered her thoughts, determined to be calm and rational while telling him everything that was upsetting her. "Eric, this is something new and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to deal with it for the rest of my life and that scares me in ways that nothing else ever has. I have had my very life within moments of ending not once, but several times and I wasn't this scared. Once I go home I have no idea how I am going to make it through the day. I don't know how. How am I going to make my meals or even take a bath? My drivers' license is useless now because I can't drive my car anymore. How am I going to do anything I normally do? This is enormous and I just don't think I can do it."

Eric pulled her closer. "You're not doing it alone. You have me and Horatio and Alexx and everyone at the Lab and your dad not to mention the fact that you'll still be getting physical therapy. You're not alone and you're not a burden, Querida. We will figure out things together; I promise. You will never be alone to handle this."

"Eric, I can't ask-"

Eric cut her off. "You're not asking. I'm giving and I need you to accept my help. I know this is going to be like climbing Mount Everest for you, so let me be there for the little things and the big things, okay?"

She sighed and was silent for a while before replying, "Okay. I'm going to be a pain in the butt."

Eric chuckled softly, knowing that they had jumped the first hurdle together. "And that is any different, how?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey all, thanks for the reviews. For those of you worried about whether Calleigh will ever walk again, you'll have to wait and see. I'm not finished yet. **

_**Homecoming**_

Eric opened her car door and lifted Calleigh into her wheel chair. He was going to push her, but she began to roll herself toward her front door. Respecting her display of independence, he followed behind, nodding at the front window. As they neared the door, it opened on it's own and Alexx stepped forward.

"Welcome home, baby," Alexx said, bending down and giving her a little kiss on the cheek.

Calleigh gave her a small hug in return. It felt good to be home after so long. "There's a house full of people, isn't there?"

"I couldn't stop them. You know how determined that batch of CSI's are. Besides we're all so glad to have you back home again," Alexx said as she ushered them inside.

"Yeah," Calleigh said softly. She felt Eric squeeze her shoulder as she rolled herself inside. She had hoped that the team would have left her to come home and adjust to her new surroundings in her new circumstance on her own, but that wasn't the case.

Before she knew it, she was overwhelmed by hugs and kisses and warm welcome homes. Even Frank bent over to give her a little peck on the cheek that left him blushing slightly.

"Now, Lambchop, we're not going to stay all that long. We just wanted to give you a little welcome home party and make sure you have everything you need," Kenwall said as his daughter began to wheel herself over to the couch.

"Thanks dad, everyone. I didn't even think about anything other than sleeping in my own bed tonight. Do I even _have_ food that isn't spoiled in the refrigerator?" Calleigh asked as she set her brakes and stared hard at the couch, trying to figure out how she was going to get herself onto it without asking for help.

"All taken care of," Natalia said. "Maxine and I went grocery shopping and Alexx and Horatio made you up some meals so that all you have to do is heat them up. Horatio is an excellent cook, by the way."

"Being single make you learn to cook," Horatio said humbly.

"I made you some barbecue chicken with that sauce you like so much," Frank said proudly. Barbecuing was his thing and he knew how much Calleigh enjoyed his barbecue parties. She had told him that his barbecues reminded her of what it was like when things were good back home. He knew what she meant, especially after having to handle her dad's DUI a few years back.

"Mr. OCD over there made sure you had a clean house when you came home," Eric said as Calleigh leaned forward and tried to lever herself out of the chair and onto the couch.

"Thank you all so much. I really appreciate it. It's a little overwhelming, what you've all done. I didn't expect it at all," she said as she inched closer to the couch.

"Lambchop, let me give you a hand," Kenwall said, already stooping to pick her up. He hated to see her struggle.

"No, daddy, let me do it. I need to try." She inched closer until she could slide her weight carefully onto the couch. "See, I can do it."

"Well Ms. Independent, are you hungry?" Alexx asked with a chuckle. It was good to see that the fight didn't leave Calleigh. It did her heart good to see it because Eric had confided in her how much Calleigh was struggling with the changes.

"Starving, actually. Because I was dealing with the discharge papers and insurance forms and I don't know what, I missed breakfast and it's already past lunch," Calleigh replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Well let me go and make you something," Natalia offered, already moving off toward Calleigh's kitchen, a kitchen that Natalia, herself, coveted.

"No, you don't have to; really. I can make it myself," Calleigh protested, already beginning to move to her chair.

"I want to. I love your kitchen. Can I just move in so I can cook in there?"Natalia asked.

"Then let me help," Calleigh offered.

Natalia shook her head. "No way. You're the lady of the hour right now, so just let me get it for you."

Eric sat next to Calleigh. "Accept the help," he whispered.

Calleigh nodded, knowing that he was right. "Okay."

Ryan sat on her other side. "Did the doctors say when you can come back to work? We need you around the Lab. The guy that's been your temp is good, but he's no match for you."

"Look, I don't know when I'll be back yet. I don't even know how I'm getting around the house yet so you need to be patient," Calleigh said with stark honesty.

"Your Lab will be finished in a couple of days, so whenever you're ready, it'll be ready for you," Horatio said. He smiled at her. "I'm so glad you made it through everything, Calleigh."

"You're still feeling guilty, aren't you?" Calleigh asked quietly, running a hand on his arm.

"I do. I know that you don't blame me, but..." Horatio's voice trailed off.

"But you do and knowing that I need to be in a wheel chair for whatever the duration isn't helping you get rid of that guilt, right?"

Horatio shook his head. "I still feel like it's my fault."

She leveled a steely gaze on him. "Well it's not so stop. It could have happened to anyone. It could have happened to Ryan or Eric or Natalia, or even you."

"I know, Calleigh, but it was you. You're one of the toughest women I know and since most of them are officers, that's a tough group. To have seen you so weak and ill...Calleigh, for the first time I realized that you're not some wonder woman and can get knocked down like the rest of us. It frankly frightened me that we could have lost you," Horatio admitted.

"But that's no reason to feel guilty about it." Calleigh said as her stomach growled loud enough to be heard. "Keeping me from having one of Natalia's home cooked meals is."

Horatio gave her a soft smile. "Well, let's not compound my guilt, then."

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Calleigh sat back, appetite mostly satisfied. "That was great, Nat. Thanks. One of these days you'll have to come over and let me make it up to you. In fact, once I get my wind back, I really think I just might want to have a barbecue."

"Wind back? Darlin' what are you talking about?" Kenwall asked.

"I'm still tiring pretty easily. I'm still taking frequent naps so it'll be a while before I have my old stamina back," Calleigh said.

"Then I know I won't be shooing you out of the Lab long after your shift ends," Horatio teased. "Or find you already there when I get in?"

"I promise. Eric said he'd be my wheels until I can get hand controls for my car. If I'm ever late, blame him," Calleigh said, batting her eyelashes at Eric.

"She'll be late," Eric said, giving a significant look to Calleigh, which made her blush ever-so-slightly.

Calleigh busied herself with taking another sip of her sweet tea before eying Eric's muffin. Natalia's home made and lemon poppy seed; her favorite. "Eric, can I have this muffin?"

"You want my muffin?" he asked incredulously. She had already polished off a lasagna omelette, a large glass of grapefruit juice, several slices of bacon and toast and butter.

"What can I say? Natalia is an amazing cook and I'm still hungry and you're not eating it." Calleigh said, reaching for his muffin.

He didn't stop her. It was good to see her so enthusiastic. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright folks, I think we need to go and let Calleigh get a little rest," Horatio said, standing.

"Oh, no, you don't have to go," Calleigh protested around a small yawn.

Alexx pat her shoulder. "Someone needs a nap."

"No I don't," Calleigh argued.

"You need a nap, Calleigh. You're getting cranky," Ryan admonished with a touch of humor. "You know I don't like Cranky Calleigh."

"I'm not cranky."

Despite her protests, she received hugs, kisses and good wishes as everyone, save Eric, left so that she could actually get some amount of rest. In truth, she was beginning to flag badly, but she had been having such a great time with everyone there that she was sad to see them go.

"So, you're off too then?" Calleigh asked as Eric picked up the extra plates.

"Me? No I thought that you might want, I mean, I thought I'd stay around here in case you need anything. You said that you didn't even know how you were going to get around the house, so I thought that maybe I'd hang around and pitch in until you have something worked out," Eric said, stumbling over his own words.

"Come here," Calleigh ordered softly. When he sat down next to her, she scooted over and snuggled up to him. "You don't need an excuse to stay."

"I didn't want to assume that you'd be okay with it. I know you still need your space," Eric said, arms encircling her. He could feel her exhaustion in the way she leaned against him.

"I'm more than okay with it," she murmured softly, her eyes closing.

Eric slid his arms around her, lifting her up as he stood. No matter how much weight she had put back on, she still felt light as a feather to him. "Come on, you'll get a backache if you fall asleep here."

"Eric, put me in the chair. I can roll myself to the bedroom," she protested, yawning, head still resting on his shoulder.

"Nope. You're already half asleep. Let me do this," he said as they entered the bedroom. Someone had already turned down the bed and fluffed the pillows. Eric laid her down gently. "Do you need anything?"

She took his hands. "Just you."

"I'm right here," he replied, a little puzzled at what she meant.

"I know, but you're not close enough." With a surprising display of strength, she tugged on his hands, pulling him onto the bed. "That's better, but I don't think you're too comfortable."

Eric let out a low chuckle, fully understanding her intention. He lifted her up and moved her over so he could lay down properly. "You're right, this is much more comfortable."

"Good." She struggled a little, but managed to get herself onto her side, laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. "Now you're close enough."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A Different World**_

Eric was running late and he knew it and he hated to make Calleigh wait. Who was he kidding? He couldn't wait to get back home to Calleigh. It wasn't official that he'd moved in over the last couple of weeks, but more of an unspoken understanding that some of his stuff was there and that he had his own key to come and go as he pleased. He didn't like leaving her home alone all day long. It just seemed cruel to him and also, what if she suddenly needed something she couldn't get to? She had stubbornly refused to refit her home to accommodate the wheel chair in optimistic hopes that she'd regain the use of her legs. There had been several involuntary muscle twitches of late and that fueled her hope that something would happen.

He pulled into the driveway, got out and went to the front door. "Cal, sorry I'm late. I had a back-up with the mass spec and-Calleigh?"

"In here," she said weakly.

Eric followed her voice until he found her in the kitchen, propped up against the cabinets, wheel chair on it's side and she clamping a towel over a large cut on her wrist.

He knelt down next to her, taking the towel away to examine her wrist. The cut was long but not very deep and didn't look all that serious. "Querida, what happened?"

"I wanted to make you lunch. I was cutting the vegetables to put them into the pot and I had a hard time reaching up, so I stretched a little and I guess I overbalanced the chair because the next thing I knew I was lying on the floor and my wrist was bleeding. And there's no lunch," she finished, looking down.

"Cal, why didn't you wait for me to get home so I could help you with the tall stuff? You could have been hurt so much worse," he said, embracing her.

"I wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry. I guess I still don't know my limits yet," she replied, blinking back a few stray tears that suddenly appeared at seeing how frightened Eric had been.

"Well, you definitely surprised me." He kissed the top of her head and let her go. Eric righted her chair and put her back in it. He pushed her to the bathroom and began to clean her cut. "Next time, just order pizza."

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"Come on, Calleigh, please?" Natalia's voice pleaded. "Come out with me and Valera tonight. We're going to dinner at Puck's and then over to Liquid Neon. A night out will do you good."

Calleigh shook her head, although she knew Natalia couldn't see it over the phone. "I don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet and I'm sure I'll slow you down. I mean, it's not like I can dance anymore."

"Calleigh, we want you to come. You're not going to cramp anyone's style and we miss you. I'll even be your personal chauffeur. I'll pick you up at six and I promise we won't keep you out too late. Say yes," Natalia persuaded. She missed Calleigh's presence badly at the Lab and was just waiting for the doctors to clear her to return to work.

"Please!" Valera's voice drifted out to her.

"Alright, you're ganging up on me. Fine, I'll go, but I'm not, I mean...It's been a long time since..." Calleigh stammered.

"It's okay. I understand. Just relax and trust us," Natalia said.

Calleigh was quiet for a moment. "I haven't gone out in public and I know that there'll be stares and-"

"So wear something drop dead sexy so you'll get the right kind of stares. I mean it, Calleigh. You have to go out again. You got your life back, so live. I know you're nervous and very self conscious right now, but I promise you that everything will be okay," Natalia said quietly.

"Okay," Calleigh replied equally as softly. "I trust both of you. Something sexy, huh?"

"That's right. If you think you're going to attract attention, might as well make 'em drool," Valera said with a laugh.

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Natalia entered the Trace Lab and leaned against the table, smiling at Eric. "Hey, you know that thing we were talking about the other day?"

Eric looked up from his fingerprints. Natalia looked like the cat that just swallowed the canary. "What thing?"

"The thing about Calleigh needing to get out and have some fun. Well, mission accomplished. She's coming to dinner with Valera and me tonight. We're going to have a girl's night out. Dinner at Puck's and fun at Liquid Neon," she said, pleased with herself.

"What did you have to blackmail her with to get her to agree to that? I haven't been able to get her to go anywhere since she got home. She won't even go with me to the grocery store," Eric said, surprise and disbelief in his voice.

"I didn't have to blackmail her with anything. I just reminded her that she needs to get out and live again and that if she came out with us tonight, we'd make sure she'd have fun. Valera and I even convinced her to wear something sexy so that she'll attract a different kind of attention than what she thinks she will," Natalia explained, quite proud of herself. She was still a little stunned that she had managed to talk Calleigh into going anywhere.

Eric shook his head. "'Talia, just bring her back in one piece."

"Oh, I think I can guarantee that. I'll take good care of her. I've already promised her that we won't keep her out too late. Don't worry, Eric," Natalia said with a wink.

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Natalia was as good as her word and picked Calleigh up promptly at six. She was pleased to see that Calleigh had risen to the occasion and had dressed in a pair of black pants and a body hugging emerald green halter top that accentuated her curves and set her eyes ablaze. She wore her hair down and had set a slight curl to it so that it cascaded over her shoulders and down her bare back in the most enticing way. She was going to have to beat the men off with a stick.

"You're going to turn heads tonight, you know," Natalia said, smiling at her friend.

Calleigh blushed. "I was going for the 'look at me and not the chair' look. Think I got that?"

"You definitely got that. Let's get a move on. We're meeting Max at 6:30," Natalia said, moving aside and letting Calleigh roll out ahead of her. She shut the door behind her.

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Calleigh watched contentedly as Valera and Natalia danced. She stirred her soda water and took a sip as someone slid into the seat opposite her. He was a handsome man in his mid thirties dressed in a chest hugging polo and a pair of khakis. His blonde hair was cut close and his blue gray eyes sparkled in the neon lighting.

"Hi, I'm Tony. I've noticed you haven't been dancing," he said over the music.

Calleigh looked down at her drink. Her cheeks colored in embarrassment. "I can't dance."

"Sure you can. Anybody can dance, even my musically impaired brother can dance. He dances badly, but he dances," Tony said persuasively. He offered her his hand. "Come dance with me."

Calleigh shook her head. "I really can't."

Tony moved to the chair next to her and that's when he noticed the wheel chair. "Oh, you've got wheels. I get it. So, we won't dance. We can just talk. You never told me your name."

"Calleigh. Look, I'm sure you'd rather be out on the dance floor instead of sitting here talking with me," Calleigh said politely.

"Nope. I just want to spend some time with the most beautiful woman in the club. Tell me about yourself. What do you do?" Tony asked. He was being honest with her. He thought she really was the most beautiful woman in the room.

Calleigh let out a small laugh. "You have got to be kidding me. You really want to sit and talk?"

"Yeah. Okay, I'll start. I'm an accountant with Thomas and Wills. Now you."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm a firearms and toolmarks expert for the Miami-Dade Crime Lab."

"You have a more interesting job than I do. So you know a lot about guns?" Tony asked.

Calleigh shrugged. "A fair amount. A lot of the work can be tedious and slow, but I love it. There's nothing like the feeling you get when you nail a criminal and have him put away. It's a pretty heady feeling."

"So, you're here by yourself?" he asked.

"No, I'm here with friends from work." She pointed to Natalia and Maxine. "We work together. They're both DNA analysts. The one with the long hair is also a field CSI."

"No boyfriend? I can't believe a woman as beautiful and charming as you doesn't have one," Tony said, hoping he was right.

"Actually, he's at home. We're having a girls' night out. Tony, you're being really sweet and you have no idea what that's doing to my ego tonight," Calleigh said, smiling brightly.

"Geez, Calleigh, I knew you'd have to be beating them off with sticks tonight. You always end up having to beat them off with sticks. Who's your friend?" Maxine asked, sitting down and taking a long sip of her still cold drink.

Calleigh's smile broadened. "Maxine Valera and Natalia Boa Vista, this is Tony...I don't think I caught your last name."

"That's because I didn't give it. It's Bailey. Tony Bailey. Nice to meet you ladies," Tony said.

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Eric turned off the television as soon as he heard the sound of Calleigh's key in the lock. He got up and went to open the door for her, but she already had it open.

"Thanks, Nat. I really had a good time. You were right. Everything went just fine," Calleigh said, rolling into the house. "Did you want to come in for a while?"

Natalia saw Eric in the hallway. "No, but I think Eric wants a recap of tonight. G'night Eric."

Calleigh closed the door and turned around. "Hey!"

Eric took in her appearance and couldn't help but appreciate the effort she went through. He hadn't seen her looking that nice since before she got sick. "You look gorgeous."

"I had a head or two turn. I had a really good time, Eric. I'm glad Natalia talked me into it. Do you want a recap?" Calleigh asked, her eyes glinting playfully.

"I can assume you had male attention," he said, keeping the jealousy out of his voice.

"A little, but besides stroking my ego, all I really wanted was you," Calleigh said, rolling up to him and looking up.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Tony was nice and all and he didn't even notice the chair at first, but all we did was make small talk. He knows about you and never overstepped himself. I think he might be asking Natalia out, though. So what did you do tonight?" she asked.

"Nothing much, just watched the Heat get their tails kicked by the Celtics. You really do look great, Cal. If it wasn't already a little on the late side, I would be grabbing the keys and take you back out and show you off," Eric said, heat in his eyes.

"Oh, so that's all I am? A trophy?" Calleigh teased. The heat in her eyes answered his.

Eric knelt and leaned in, nuzzling her neck. "You're so much more than that."

Calleigh's breath hitched in her throat as he nibbled at the sensitive spot behind her ear. She put her arms around him, drawing him closer. "You wanted to go out why?"

"I think staying in has it's virtues," Eric said, picking her up and carrying her to the couch. "I can't do what I want to do to you in public. I don't want to get arrested."

Calleigh captured his lips and kissed him hungrily before pulling back. "Oh, and what do you want to do to me that you can't do in public?"

His hands were already untying the knot that held her top up. "Something that we couldn't do in the hospital and your father isn't going to walk in this time."

"Well, that's a plus." Her hands drifted to the snap on his trousers while she sought out his lips again. "But let's not roll off the couch this time."


	23. Chapter 23

_**Hi all. Let me first apologize for chapter 22. It's probably the worst chapter I've written in a long time, but I wanted filler and I wrote it over the tail end of a migraine. Makes me shudder to have that in public. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Ugh. Anyway, there's not much more of the story left and I'm not going to try for another horrible filler chapter. **_

_**Oh, and Calleigh's response to Oscar is mine. When I feel out of sorts and somewhat icky. all I have to think of is 'What would Oscar do?' and I know. He'd put on a big old smile and come to school and soon, everything would be okay. It always is with my smiling, happy, Oscar. I'm addicted to him. His real first name is Oscar, but the rest, creative license.**_

_**Surprises**_

Calleigh waited tensely, holding Eric's hand in a death grip. "Well? What's the verdict? I'm going stir crazy at home all day. Do I get to go back to work or not?"

Maria and Jenny exchanged knowing looks. "Do you really think you're ready to go back to work, Calleigh?" Maria asked.

"I'm dying to go back. You have no idea. Are you two going to quit torturing me? Yes or no," Calleigh demanded just as Oscar rolled into the physical therapy room.

"Good afternoon everyone," Oscar said, unknowingly interrupting the conversation.

"Hey, Oscar. These two are torturing me. What do you think I should do to them?" Calleigh asked playfully.

Oscar didn't even hesitate. "Run over their feet. It is a good kind of revenge. I do it all the time to people that bug me."

"Don't make me give you a reckless driving ticket," Eric teased Oscar. He had come to totally and completely like and enjoy the kid over the last several weeks. He could see where Calleigh drew her strength from him. A ten year old child he might be, but he was someone who demanded the respect that Eric gave him. "So does Cal come back to work or not?"

Maria opened a folder. "From where you were after waking up to where you are now is a world of difference. Neurologically you're just right as rain. You still have full sensation in your legs even if they don't actually move on command. That still gives us the hope that you may regain some use of them in the future. There's nothing indicating that it's an impossibility. Your hearing and eyesight are fine as is your upper body strength and co-ordination. In my part of this assessment, I'm clearing you. You're healthy as a horse."

Calleigh smiled broadly, squeezing Eric's hand as Oscar drove his chair to her other side, taking her left hand. "Thanks, Maria. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

Jenny also flipped open a file. "You've come a long way, Calleigh. You've exceeded my expectations in how fast you've mastered so many things. Like Maria said, there's still hope for your legs and I can't complain about your co-ordination and strength in your upper body. I want you to continue physical therapy for the time being because you're still benefiting from it, but other than that, I have to agree with Dr. Santos and clear you for returning to work."

Calleigh's smile brightened until she thought her face would split. Oscar raised her hand to his cheek and nuzzled it in joy. Eric whooped and hugged her. "Thank you both so much. I don't think I would have had so much support if it wasn't for y'all. Maria, you saw me at my absolute weakest and worst and believed I would get better. You never let up or gave up on that belief. Jenny, you've endured my bad moods and tantrums with good grace and a generous heart. Oscar, I'm so glad you're here because you're my hero, and a cheerleader and an amazing inspiration when I felt down. Eric, your love has kept me strong. Thank you."

Oscar nuzzled her even more while she received hugs from Eric, Maria and Jenny. "Okay, I think there's some work I have to do today. Eric will you call Horatio and let him know that I'm cleared?"

"You bet," he replied as he watched Calleigh get down to business.

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"That's right, Horatio. She's cleared to return," Eric said into the phone, joy evident in his voice. "She's in physical therapy right now and working harder than ever. H, she's flying high right now. I don't think I have ever seen her happier. She's even outstripping Oscar and he's a pro."

"Oscar? Who's this Oscar?" Horatio asked.

"He's this amazing ten year old kid with CP that just drives Calleigh to do more. He inspires her and makes her laugh when she feels down. If he were an adult, I'd definitely feel threatened," Eric explained. "If that wasn't enough, he's into science and thinks he might want to be a CSI when he grows up."

"He sounds like a hell of a kid," Horatio replied.

"He is," Eric replied. "He's whip smart and can get to her in places that she won't let anyone else go."

"What can we do for him or his family to show how much we all owe him for keeping Calleigh with us?" Horatio asked.

"I don't know, but I'll ask." Eric said, knowing that, until the kid graduated college in any area he chose, Horatio would always look after him in gratitude for inspiring when he really didn't understand that he did save a life. Somehow, Eric had the feeling that in some dozen or so years time Oscar Herrera would find himself a place at the Miami-Dade Crime lab. Eric would welcome him on that day.

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Eric awoke and the realization washed over him that it was Sunday and Sunday had always meant a big family brunch by his parents. Lately, his folks had been badgering him about bringing Calleigh around. He tried to explain that she still wasn't all that comfortable around a lot of people yet and too many questions might just upset her. Still, his mother persisted. Today was the first day that Calleigh was going to the Delko home as his official girlfriend.

Taking a deep breath, he could feel Calleigh pressed up against him as she was every morning. But this particular morning something felt different. She was cuddled up to him in her usual position; head resting on his shoulder, left arm flung across his chest, left leg tangled between his...he checked himself. He had never woken up with her in that position. Flicking back the covers, what he saw confirmed what he felt.

"Calleigh, Calleigh wake up. Wake up right now," he said, shaking her gently.

"What? Is there a hurricane or something? Why are you shaking me?" she mumbled.

"Don't move anything but your head and look down at your legs. This is really important. Don't move anything but your head," Eric instructed carefully.

"Y'all have done gone and lost your mind," she grumbled, sleepiness making her accent thick, but followed his directions. Her eyes widened. "Eric..."

"You moved it, Cal. I woke up and your leg was just like that. You must have moved it while you were sleeping," he told her.

"Oh my God," she breathed. Biting her lip, she tried to wiggle her toes. They barely moved, but they moved.

"You wiggled your toes," Eric said as he caught her in an excited embrace. He laughed and kissed her.

She was laughing and crying at the same time, hugging and kissing Eric. "They moved!"

"Do you think it's too early to call Jenny?" Eric asked.

"I don't care what time it is! Call her!"

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"Do it again, Calleigh," Jenny instructed and then watched as her patient wiggled her toes again. She was convinced. Calleigh would regain at least some use of her legs. Time would only tell.

"It's not one of those random muscle twitches, is it?" Calleigh asked hopefully.

Jenny shook her head. "No; your toes are responding to your commands as best as they can. Try to move one leg for me."

Jenny and Eric watched as Calleigh concentrated. Her thigh muscle jumped and then her left leg moved ever-so-slightly. Calleigh let out a hard breath and leaned back against the couch cushions in exhaustion. Perspiration stood out on her forehead. "It moved. I know it did. My left leg moved," she panted.

Jenny smiled at her. "Now try to move your right, please."

Calleigh took several deep breaths and concentrated on moving her right leg, which, after a few moments of concentration, obeyed. Again, it was only a slight movement, but she was encouraged by it. "Okay, so what is this going to mean?"

"Without more rigorous testing, I'm not sure. I am sure, however, that you will regain at least partial use of your legs. The passive stimulation helped. I am cautiously optimistic," Jenny said with a large smile. "So, I suppose you'll be right on time for your appointment tomorrow?"

Calleigh returned the smile. "You bet I will!"

"Good because I want to begin something new, since you've shown response to voluntary impulses. We're going to work those as much as possible. We're getting back in the water so that your muscles won't have to work too hard and we can try to speed up your progress a little," Jenny said, giving Calleigh a little hug.

"Okay," Calleigh said. "Eric, I want to keep this quiet for a while. I want to see where this goes."

"Alright," he said as his cell rang. "Delko...si mama, we're going to be a little late. Something came up and we're a little behind...No mama, it's nothing bad at all...Yes, Calleigh is fine...Ma, we'll be there. Give us an extra half hour, okay?...I'll tell her...Love you, too."

"Your mother is worried because we're not there yet?" Calleigh asked.

"Something like that. She and my dad are dying to see you now that you're recovered. She told me to tell you that she has some of her El Milagro Jamon y Mojo for you," Eric said with a chuckle.

Calleigh burst out laughing. "Well, if she made more of the miracle cure, then right now is a great time for me to eat more."

"I don't get it, but if it's a miracle cure, you go get it, Calleigh, because I'm going to work you like a dog tomorrow," Jenny said, puzzlement evident in her voice.

"Don't forget that tomorrow is my first day back at the Lab. I'm on half days until my stamina is better. I'll be done at 11 and I promise to eat a good, nourishing lunch and take a nap before therapy," Calleigh said before Jenny could voice protest. "And no trips to the Everglades."

Eric chuckled at Calleigh's joke. "I'll be the one to take her to lunch and back here. Natalia said she'd give Calleigh a lift to the hospital."

"Then it's settled. Calleigh, I couldn't be happier for you with this development and I hope that your first day back is wonderful. I'll see you tomorrow at four," Jenny said, rising and making her way to the door. Eric let her out.

"Well, alright. Eric, give me fifteen minutes to get myself together and we can get over to your folks'. I'm in the mood to celebrate!"


	24. Chapter 24

_**Returning**_

Calleigh dozed lightly as Eric drove them home from his parents'. She was more than just tired; she was exhausted, but elated since his family had embraced her as one of them. She really shouldn't have been so surprised as they all liked her just as Eric's colleague before then. Eric's mother had kept calling her "mi hija", or _my daughter _and Eric's father couldn't stop hugging her or kissing her cheeks and telling her that she was his little babushka.

Eric had taken it all in and was relieved that Calleigh had been accepted so easily into his family. His sisters had clustered around her and caught her up in a swirl of chatter. His father had drawn him aside and asked about Calleigh's paralysis and how Eric felt about it. Eric was honest. If it hadn't been for her falling into the Everglades and the resulting illness, they'd have still been dancing around their feelings for each other. As for the paralysis, Eric assured him that he only minded when it bothered Calleigh. Eric told his dad that she was still really struggling with the change, but was more comfortable with it every day. He wanted to tell his folks that Calleigh had actually moved her legs and that she might eventually walk again, but Calleigh had asked him to keep it quiet, even to both sets of parents.

So now, as Eric pulled into the driveway, he gently shook Calleigh awake. "Querida, we're home."

She stirred, "Hmn?"

"Come on, wake up; you can have a nice, long nap in your own bed," Eric said, getting out of the car and opening her door. "If you don't want me to carry you, you have to get up."

She opened her eyes. "I'm up, I'm up. Your family is intense."

He opened the wheelchair and set it next to her as she slid in. "Hey, you knew that already. They just get more intense when they love you."

She yawned and began to roll herself toward the front door. "I guess I'm in then because I'm exhausted."

"And this is why you're going to lay down and take a nice, long nap," Eric said reasonably, closing the front door behind him.

She gave him a coy look. "All by myself? I'll get lonely."

Eric shook his head."You're too tired to do anything more than sleep, and if you're sleeping, you won't be lonely."

"You're a mean man."

"It's just part of my charm," he said, kissing her lightly on the lips as she laid down. "Now sleep for a while, alright?"

Calleigh nodded, eyes already closing. "Don't let me sleep too long or I won't sleep tonight. Then again, I know something that will burn excess energy if I have too much."

Eric chuckled and smiled to himself, knowing exactly what activity she was talking about. "Get some sleep. If you're not awake by six, I'll wake you."

"Mmm-hmn."

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Calleigh was awakened gently by feather-light kisses across her forehead, nose and jawline. She smiled as those kisses came closer and closer to her lips. She opened her eyes to find Eric's lips just brushing hers. She raised her head and returned the kiss with interest. "Now that's a wake-up call I can get used to. What time is it?"

"Five," Eric replied, laying back down and drawing her to him.

"I only slept an hour? It must have been a hell of a sleep," she commented, contentedly snuggling closer.

"I left something out. It's not 5p.m., but 5a.m. You slept all night. And, before you protest, you slept straight through. You needed a long sleep like that. Besides, you come back to the Lab today. You'll thank me for letting you sleep all night," Eric defended.

"Yeah, you're probably right." A ghost of a smile played along her lips. "I'm going back to work."

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I really am. You know, lying in a hospital bed gave me a lot of time to think and I realized some things about myself. I love science. I love using science to put a criminal behind bars for the longest time possible. Even when I wasn't sure about my continuing as a CSI without the use of my legs, I still knew that, if anything, the science would call me back. You love chemistry and I love physics," Calleigh said, sighing. "My dad wanted me to go into Law and my mama...well, she just wanted me up and married with a litter of children. She never quite forgave me for going into law enforcement. My going into criminalistics was only marginally better."

"She hates that you carry a gun, doesn't she?" Eric asked, enjoying the rare glimpse into Calleigh's past.

Calleigh let out a small chuckle. "Oh, no, not at all. She rather enjoys the fact that I can still out-shoot my brothers. She just never thought that being a cop was what a proper Southern lady would choose to do with her life. It's not exactly the most feminine of career choices. The fact that I chose to put to use what I earned my degree in made it slightly better. Analysing firearms and toolmarks and bullet striations, to her, was somehow more feminine. Don't ask because I don't know."

"It's hard to try and please yourself and your parents at the same time. Is that why your mom never came to see you?"

"No, dad asked her to stay home in Darnell. He knew that if she came to Miami, not only would they fight, but she and I would fight and my recovery would be jeapordized. There would have been too much stress all around. So, dad called mama almost every day or at least when he had something to tell her. I've talked to her a couple of times, but it always ends up the same. She's blaming this whole thing on me being a field CSI and putting myself in harm's way. I really don't want to talk about it, okay," Calleigh said, squirming uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," Eric said.

Calleigh shook her head. "You didn't. Can we get up now? I want to take my time getting ready. You only make one triumphant return from near death. I want to put a little effort into it."

Eric grinned up at her as she sat up and shoved her legs over the side of the bed. "You're cute when you're excited."

"You don't get to just lay there and watch, you know. I want to bathe and somebody has to give me a hand," she said with a bubbly sauciness in her voice. She levered herself into her chair and began rolling out of the room.

Eric rolled out of the bed. "Oh, I'll do more than just give you a hand," he growled passionately.

"And this is why we're getting up early."

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	25. Chapter 25

_**Returning**_

Eric looked down at Calleigh with a slight smile on his face, remembering the "bath" they had shared and the complete and utter disaster they had made of Calleigh's bathroom. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I really am. It's going to be weird, though."

He gave her shoulder a little squeeze as the elevator doors opened on CSI. "One day at a time, right?"

"Right." Calleigh rolled out ahead of Eric and immediately turned down the hall toward the locker room, not looking into the labs nor paying any attention to the faces that turned her way to watch her. Had she even glanced once to the side, she would have seen soft, yet joyful smiles; she had been much missed and much worried over.__

"Cal, you want to slow down some?" Eric asked as he jogged to keep up with her. He held the locker room door open for her.

"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted.

Eric smiled reassuringly at her. "Sure you can. The hard part is over. You beat the bug. Now you get to get on with the rest of your life."

She looked up at him with a ghost of doubt in her eyes. "But-"

"No "buts"; you can do this." He looked at his watch. "Bust a move, H has a meeting in the Layout room in five minutes."

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Horatio looked over at the door as Eric walked in. "Where's Calleigh?"

"She's still in the locker room. H, she's a little nervous about coming back. It's been four months and she knows that she'll have to take a batch of her proficiencies over again," Eric said.

"Then maybe our little gathering isn't such a good idea," Natalia observed.

Ryan pulled his head back in the door, pushing it all the way open so that Calleigh could easily enter. "Too late; she's almost here. I just saw her come around the corner."

"Then we press on," Horatio said as Calleigh entered the room. "Welcome back, Calleigh."

"Hey," she said, trying to sound casual. Butterflies were dive bombing in her stomach. Suddenly she was lifted completely out of her chair and spun in a circle.

Frank gently put her back, placing a shy and soft kiss to her cheek. "Glad you're back. This place is too dull without you."

"Frank, give me a warning next time you want to do that!" Calleigh said with a little laugh. "Did I see a cake on the table?"

"I made a small one last night," Natalia said, bending over and giving her a hug. "This is a party after all."

There was sudden moisture in Calleigh's eyes and she blinked furiously to rid herself of it. "Y'all didn't have to do this. I could have come back with no fanfare."

"No way. You beat all the odds, babe, so you get a party," Ryan said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"Isn't there a rule about no food or drink in the work areas," Stetler asked as he entered, hands behind his back.

Horatio grimaced. "Lighten up, Rick. We're having a little celebration. We can do that."

Stetler looked over at Calleigh, noting with pleasure that she seemed to be fully recovered, all the normal healthy glow that she had always had being returned to her skin. He really hoped that Calleigh had licked that drooling thing. "I figured you would be because I heard a rumor that your team is complete again. Welcome back, Ms. Duquesne."

"Thanks, Rick," she said softly.

Rick brought his hands from behind his back, revealing a small flower arrangement. "I thought this might brighten your office."

Calleigh took the arrangement, handing it off to Eric. She smiled, slightly puzzled as to his sudden humanness. Normally he wasn't so kind. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I'm just pleased that we have our top ballistics expert back. So get yourself back to work before I have to write you up," he said with mock sternness.

She threw him a spirited look. "Not without a piece of cake, I'm not."

"Fine. Cake, then work," Rick said. He turned toward the door. "If you'll excuse me, I need to see to a few things. Welcome back, Calleigh."

Ryan gazed after a retreating Stetler. "Was he just human or should we go looking for a pod?"

"No need, Mr. Wolfe. Sometimes even Rick can be decent." Horatio turned to Calleigh, taking a couple of things off of one of the work stations. "Calleigh, I think these belong to you."

Calleigh looked over at him, seeing her firearm and badge in his hands. Her own hands shaking slightly, she took them from him. "Horatio, I-uhm, well...I don't know what to say. I mean, I haven't taken, I mean, I'm not authorized to...Are you sure?"

"Calleigh, the only proficiencies that you need to retake are the ones that ran out while you were on leave. I'm sure you can remember everything perfectly. Your firearms proficiency isn't due for another six weeks," Horatio said, smiling at her. "Go ahead and put them on. They're yours anyway."

Hands still shaking, Calleigh clipped her badge and ID to her waist and then slid her holster into it's accustomed space, the weight feeling just right. She ran her hand lovingly over the hand grip, fingers suddenly itching to hold it out and squeeze the trigger. Leaving the firearm, she traced her fingers over the engraving on her badge, feeling the star inside the arch. She traced every bump and valley, almost reading it all with her fingers.

"Well, how does it feel?" Horatio asked, squatting down to be almost eye level with her.

She smiled, eyes meeting his. "Perfect."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Good. Are you ready for a tour of your new and improved Lab?"

"Am I ever!" Calleigh beamed as Horatio lead the way.

She followed him down the familiar corridor to her Lab. Turning in, her eyes widened to take in all the changes. All her work surfaces had been lowered and her scopes had been put on specialized tables that could be raised or lowered depending on the analyst. She roamed around the Lab, gently running her fingers over the old, familiar work surfaces, feeling completely at home.

"This is wonderful, Horatio, but..."

"But what?"

Calleigh wiggled her toes inside her shoes. "What if I regain the use of my legs? Y'all are gonna have to put it all back because I am just not that short."

"I have plans for that already," Horatio said, leading the way onto the firing range.

"You had the cubicle remodeled, too? Horatio, I could have just gone on the other side. You didn't have to-"

"Yes, I did," he said softly above her protests. "Calleigh, do you remember when Megan sent me to recruit you from NOPD?"

A soft smile crossed her face. "I do. I can't remember how many rounds you watched me fire and how much evidence you watched me process. I can remember that your face just kept lighting up with every success I had. You hadn't shadowed me for a full day before you offered me the job here."

"I've never regretted it for a second, Calleigh. You've made me so proud of everything you've done here in the last dozen years. You've won us so much prestige that with you on the team, we're the top Lab in the South, not just Florida. You have commendations and have given so many lectures and written so many papers that I lost count. Yes, I did have to have all this done because I want you to be able to keep doing what you do best to the best of your ability," Horatio said warmly, the years of mentor ship, friendship and partnership making his voice slightly hoarse with emotion. "Besides, I can't think of this Lab or my life without you. Your friendship means a lot to me, Sweetheart, and I'm so glad you're back."

Calleigh was silent for a while, digesting what Horatio said. "You know, you're going to have to knock that off because if you don't, I'm going to actually cry and I think that's pretty unprofessional now that I'm on the clock."

Horatio chuckled, handing her a file folder. "Since you're on the clock, I need this analyzed as quickly as you can."

She flashed him a blindingly bright smile. "You got it, Lieutenant."


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews. They really keep me going. I'd also like to thank everyone who has been so patient while other things had to take precedence to my finishing the story. Things should be returning to normal soon, since my seasonal show has had it's Opening Day (see Joust Murder and you'll get it) and all the craziness will now die away to the routine of the show season.**

_**Progress**_

Calleigh wheeled herself to the pool's edge and set her brakes, waiting patiently for Jenny to join her. She sat back and closed her eyes, a slight, yet satisfied smile dancing across her lips. She was a little tired, but it was a good tired. It was the kind of tired that she loved after having a good day at work. She had been having a string of good days at work and got up each morning eager to have another one. Her prolonged and forced absence only made her appreciate her calling more and served to remind her why she loved what she did so much. If there was anything that darkened her day a little it was the fact that she couldn't be in the field.

"If you're too tired today, Calleigh, we don't have to do this," Jenny said, seeing her patient apparently dozing.

"I'm not too tired at all. It's been a really good day. I found the murder weapon and with a little testimony and some power point pictures, I got myself a bad guy. They're probably processing him as we speak," Calleigh said with a smile. "Now are we getting in the pool or are we going to sit here and talk all day?"

Jenny returned the smile and began to help Calleigh out of the chair and into the water. "Aren't you feisty? Put your money where your mouth is and get to work."

Calleigh laughed and slid into the warm water. As was her routine, she rolled over and floated on her back, luxuriating in the freedom. When she heard Jenny get in, Calleigh opened her eyes and took hold of the side as Jenny took her right leg and began to bend and straighten it, bringing the knee into Calleigh's chest and straight out again.

"Your muscle tone is improving in spades, Calleigh. Have you been practicing at home?" Jenny asked, repeating the process with Calleigh's left leg.

"A little. I still can't believe that I'm beginning to move my legs again. It seems like a miracle," Calleigh said and then winced. "You want to not do that?"

"Sorry, I guess your legs still don't stretch that way," Jenny said.

"They've never stretched that way."

Jenny smiled at her, palming the bottom of her foot and bending her knee. "Push my hand."

Without thinking, Calleigh straightened her leg ever-so-slightly. "Did I just-?"

"Yes, you did. Do it again," Jenny encouraged, just as excited as her patient.

Calleigh repeated the process until her entire leg was out straight. Jenny then had her do the same with the other leg. Excited and encouraged, Calleigh repeated it. "Okay, now what?"

"I think you need to try sinking your legs again. We haven't worked on that in a while. I think you've gained enough strength to be able to get them a little bit under the water," Jenny said, hoping that she wasn't moving Calleigh along a little too fast. A failure at this point would set her back.

Calleigh was skeptical, remembering the last time she tried and how dismally she failed. "Okay, if you think I can. I'll give it a shot."

"Now remember, a little bit is better than nothing at all," Jenny coached, watching Calleigh raise herself up on the side of the pool.

Breathing deeply, Calleigh closed her eyes and concentrated on sinking her legs beneath the surface. She felt the coolness of the air on the back of her thighs and then it happened. Warmth enveloped her ankles and then her shins. Sweat breaking out on her forehead, Calleigh worked harder, unconsciously pointing her toes and sending them further under the surface. Warm water lapped at the backs of her legs and then she was completely upright. She held it for as long as she could before sliding herself back in and allowing her legs to relax and resurface.

Jenny enveloped her in a joyful hug as the door banged open and there was a sudden splash of someone jumping in. Another set of arms embraced Calleigh.

"You did it, Querida!" Eric cried before giving her a passionate kiss.

"Where did you come from?" Calleigh asked, laughing and hugging them both back.

"I was passing by on my way back from a crime scene and I thought I'd look in on you. I got here just in time to watch you push your legs under," Eric explained.

"On the way back from a crime scene? Eric you know better than to stop off somewhere. What if the evidence gets compromised because you stopped?" Calleigh asked, reverting back to Horatio's second in command.

Eric kissed her again. "Fingerprints, hair and fibers can wait a few minutes. You're more important to me."

"Okay, okay. But now you're soaking wet. How are you going to explain that?" Calleigh asked.

"I have a change of clothes in the Hummer. Calleigh, you did it!" Eric exploded, spinning her in the water. "You're going to walk again. I know you will!"

All else was forgotten and the trio celebrated Calleigh's success.

ECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECE

"I still don't see why you want to keep this from everyone," Eric said, picking Calleigh up and setting her in the passenger side of the Hummer. They had both changed and Eric was going to drop the evidence off at the Lab and then take Calleigh home. His shift would be over by the time they arrived at the Lab anyway. "Calleigh, I think they'd be jumping for joy. Don't you think your friends and family want to celebrate with you?"

"No, Eric; I still don't want to tell anyone. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up and I certainly don't want to feel pressured. This is going to take as long as it's going to take and no one can rush that along. If everyone knew that I can move my legs some, then...Please say you understand," Calleigh said as Eric got in and started the engine.

"I don't, but if that's what you want; okay," Eric said. He was silent for a while, basking in the happiness of Calleigh's success. While he really didn't understand her reluctance to share the information with anyone, he couldn't help being excited for her. "So, you had a major victory today. How do you want to mark it? We have to do something."

"I really don't know. Why don't you choose," she said, her head leaning back against the leather upholstery and closing her eyes. "I know that I want a nap first."

Eric glanced over at her. Even tired out she was still radiant in his eyes. "You nap and I'll think about what we can do. Calleigh, I want to make a fuss over you, you know that."

Calleigh opened her mouth to protest, but then saw the light of joy in Eric's eyes and relented. "Alright, but nothing too much. Eric, I'm excited, too, believe me, I am; but I don't want to put the cart before the horse. You and I both know that this could, very realistically, be as far as it goes. There's no guarantee that I'll walk again."

Alarm raced through Eric. "Cal-"

"I'm not giving up. I want that more than anything and I'm willing to give everything to get it, but I'm just being realistic in knowing that I may never have it be the way it used to be. So, while I want to bounce around and scream at the new boundary, I really can't until I know if I keep it or I get to jump over it." Calleigh took his free hand. "Eric, every little victory is still a victory, but let's keep the celebrating to a bare minimum until I know where this is all leading. Until Jenny and Dr. Santos can give me a definitive answer as to what my outcome will be, let's just keep it to ourselves. Dr. Santos is going to do another neurological exam in two weeks. We should have a clearer picture at that time. Who knows, maybe I'll have improved even more by then."

Eric pulled the Hummer in to his usual parking spot. "Alright; I get it now. You're cautiously optimistic and want to hold off on major celebrating until the uncertainty is all cleared up. I can deal with it. I still want to mark today's victory, though. Do you want to come in and hang out in the break room while I log in the evidence or do you want to wait in my car?"

Calleigh yawned. "As much as I'd like to socialize, it would be too much of a temptation to go to my office and get some extra work done if I went in with you. Why don't I wait in your car and I can get a head start on that nap?"

He leaned over, kissing her gently. "Alright, Querida. And while you sleep, I'll think of a memorable way to mark today."


	27. Chapter 27

_**Okay, this one went someplace that I didn't intend. I meant to add more of the Lab and I didn't add any Lab. Well, that was interesting. The characters kept taking over. So, for a completely character written chapter...read on. **_

_**A Different Life**_

"Come on, Eric, what are we doing?" Calleigh asked him for the hundredth time since waking from her nap less than an hour previous.

"You'll see, Querida," he replied cryptically, a mischievous gleam in his deep brown eyes. "I can only tell you that I know that you'll like it."

"Oh, you think you know me that well?" Calleigh quipped.

Eric stopped his preparations just long enough to drop a tantalizingly short kiss to her lips. "Yeah, I do."

She eyed him suspiciously, pointing to the back seat of his car. "What's the cooler in the back seat for?"

"Body parts; we're transferring transplant materials," Eric deadpanned, almost exasperated at her intense curiosity, yet, that intense curiosity was one of her most endearing qualities in his eyes. He stopped and turned to face her. "Are you ready?"

"I don't know; am I? I mean, since I don't know where we're going or what we're doing I don't know if I'm ready or not," she mock pouted, batting her eyelashes at him.

Eric looked her over. To him she was enticing; to him she was always enticing. She wore black, loose collegiate jogging pants, he knew it was to conceal the braces she needed to wear, and a pale blue tank top. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail. "You're perfect because, while where I'm taking you and what we're doing is special, there's no need to dress any differently."

Mind spinning at the possibilities, Calleigh relented. "Alright, then when do we leave?"

"Right now."

ECECECECECECECECEECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECECEC

"I remember this place," Calleigh breathed softly, her eyes taking in an expanse of beach that she used to frequent when Tim Speedle was still alive. They had all come here for barbecues and cookouts as a CSI family. Her, Tim, Alexx, Horatio, Megan and then, finally, Eric. She had since stopped coming to their spot because, after Tim's death, it had hurt too much. It didn't right then, which surprised her. "I haven't been here in years."

"I have. Sometimes I come here to calm myself after a hard day; sometimes I just come here to talk to Speed," Eric said. "No, I'm not still seeing him. I just come here and talk to him. I don't like going to his grave. I'd rather come here because I remember him alive and laughing here, not laid out in some coffin. I thought that maybe we'd come and talk to him together tonight. Cal, I'm not trying to upset you, you know that. I just thought we'd tell Speed about us and how happy we are."

Calleigh nodded. "I'd like that. I miss him, Eric. I want to feel his presence again. He was my big, annoying, brilliant, slacker brother. Do you know he once said to me that if you ever finished sowing your wild oats and wanted to start something real with someone special that we'd be idiots if we passed up that opportunity with each other? I think it was the Fourth of July the year Megan left and you joined the Lab and Tim and I both had a little too much patriotic celebrating. He saw something, Eric, that we didn't really see or acknowledge with each other. I think we need to tell him."

Eric blinked back a few tears of his own. Speed had been his big brother, too. He had felt orphaned, almost, when Speed died, and he and Calleigh had fought repeatedly and grown apart. Eric realized that they had mostly fought because he had tried to fill Speed's shoes in Calleigh's life and failed miserably and then he had gotten into pointless squabbles with Ryan when he joined the Lab to fill Speed's position, but not to take his place. Eric couldn't differentiate where Calleigh could. Now he could look back and find that he had been jealous to see Calleigh take Ryan under her wing and teach him everything she knew about being a CSI and becoming his good friend in the process. He now knew that she and Ryan loved each other dearly in a completely platonic way. It was the same way that he loved Alexx and now knew that he had always loved Natalia. He had once thought it was more, but had come to realize that, in his emotional inexperience, he had mistaken physical attraction for something more. Natalia was beautiful, sensual, fun-loving and brilliant and it was easy for him to be attracted to her and become more than friends. She had needed him just as much as he needed her at that point, given her abusive ex-husband, Nick. Eric had always been tender and gentle with her, never giving her cause to be afraid of him. In turn, she placed her complete trust in him. He made a stupid mistake in interpreting the meaning of her words and they broke up. They had worked things out and accepted the break and the platonic friendship they developed after. Eric did admit to himself that if Natalia had actually been pregnant instead of mildly ill with the flu, he'd have done the right thing and had have taken care of her and the baby in every way he could because that was just the way he was. It was his first steps into true emotional maturity. Marisol's illness and death and his own shooting lead the way into it's fulfillment. He had been made ready to take Calleigh, and everything affecting her life, seriously and be able to support her through the hardships without any desire to abandon her. He might have been less than supportive while Speed had been alive because he hadn't taken life seriously then. He wanted to tell Speed all of that. He wanted to tell Speed that he had been right.

"Hey, where are you?" Calleigh asked softly. "You got really quiet all of a sudden. Are you okay? We don't have to stay here; we can go somewhere else."

"No, no I'm fine. I was thinking about Speed and how much life has changed since he died," Eric said, opening his door. He got her chair out of the trunk and then held it steady while she slid out of the car and into the wheelchair. Eric gathered a large blanket and the cooler from the back seat and began to lead the way to the beach.

"Uhm, Eric, I can't go there," Calleigh said from the edge of the sidewalk.

He winked at her. "Sure you can. Just set your brakes and let me finish setting up the blanket."

She did as he requested and waited until he was finished with the blanket. "Okay genius, how do I not get mired up in the sand?"

Eric lifted her up and allowed her feet to settle themselves on the ground. "Because I'm going to support you and you move your legs. Go ahead, you can do this."

Taking a deep breath, Calleigh first moved one leg and then the other. It wasn't much, but she and Eric slowly made their way to the edge of the blanket where Eric scooped her up and gently deposited her on it.

He kissed her deeply then let her lean against him. "You did it."

Calleigh was still breathing hard and shaking from the exertion. "We did it."

Eric could feel her heart pounding and it worried him. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "That was a lot of hard work, Eric, and I wasn't sure that I could even do it. If you didn't bear my weight, I couldn't have."

"But you did move your legs all by yourself."

"Stop it, Eric. I know you're excited. I am, too. I just don't want either one of us to get our hopes up too high only to have them dashed when I stop improving," Calleigh said quickly. "It can happen and we both know it."

"I'm sorry, Cal, I just can't help it. I want you as recovered as possible, that's all and every little step you take just gets me excited," Eric said.

Calleigh hated herself for doubting him, but she had to know. "And what if this is it? What if I'm not going to get any more motion than I have today? What then?"

"Then we'll adapt and deal with it," Eric said. "What's bothering you?"

She was silent a long while before speaking. "I know you said that you'd be here no matter what; and I don't want to doubt you, because I believe you, but I've heard that before and when things got hard, they took off. Eric, I know you're a good man and you stand by your word and I shouldn't have a shred of doubt in my heart but-"

"Your heart has taken a hell of a beating before and this is the first time you haven't been hurt. You're waiting for the other shoe to fall," Eric said, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Calleigh. Who was it and what did he do to scar you so badly that you don't know how to trust yourself?"

"Maybe some other night. This is supposed to be a celebration, right?" Calleigh said, snuggling into his embrace. "So what is this special thing that you have planned?"

He opened his arms and motioned for her to lean forward. He opened the cooler and reached in, pulling out several candles, which he laid in the sand surrounding the blanket, their favorite crab dinner from Joe's, a bottle of Calleigh's favorite port and a basket of strawberries and whipped cream. "A romantic dinner for two on the beach and a little quality time telling Speed about us."

"Those are citronella candles, Eric," Calleigh teased. "That's not romance; it's bug protection."

"Fine, I'll blow out the ones on your side of the blanket so you can get eaten," he teased back. He stood, taking her wheelchair back to the car and returning with several body pillows. He arranged them so that they could both recline. It was his own way of making Calleigh feel special, yet not "special". When she exclaimed over the thoughtfulness, he just kissed her and helped her to recline, opening the port, pouring it into two glasses, and laying out the crab dinner.

"This is...well...more than I expected when I told you not to make a fuss," Calleigh said, impressed and touched by his attention to detail and deep thoughtfulness.

Eric swirled his crab claw meat in the drawn butter. "You said no brass bands or parades so I thought of this. Calleigh, you're right; I do get caught up in the excitement of every little improvement you make. I just love seeing you so happy when you do something that you couldn't do before. The joy in your eyes is like a drug and I'm hopelessly addicted to it. I keep hoping for something more because I need my fix of seeing you so happy."

"I love seeing you so excited and all I want to do is protect you from pain if things aren't as great as we'd hoped. You've hurt too much already with everything you've had to go through and I don't want my physical state to add to it," Calleigh said, leaning over and kissing him. He tasted of tawny port and crab meat and butter and...Eric. She was rapidly growing drunk on the taste so she drew back.

"You know, we've been trying to be for each other what Speed was to both of us," Eric announced. "He was our big brother, the one we both could always go to if things got too hard. How many times did he comfort you when you had to go and pick up your dad from a bar? Cal, don't deny it because I know it had to be painful and I can bet he was there every time. He was always riding me about how I went through girlfriends. I needed to be more sensitive and pay attention to any girl if I ever wanted to find the one of my dreams. He told me time and time again not to be such a "playa" and be a man. That was slammed home to me after I lost my badge and gun while I mindlessly "toothed". And then everything else happened and I grew up fast. That's when I realized I loved you. I couldn't tell you because I was afraid that it would end what we had and then you fell in the 'Glades and you got sick. I almost lost you without you knowing how I felt. I couldn't help it. The night when your fever spiked and you said that you loved me with all your heart was it. I told you I loved you, too. I knew that I could still lose you, but at least you knew how I felt. The day that you told me that you were paralyzed was the day that I knew we were right."

"Tim was my big brother. He drove me to distraction, but I loved him. I could deny him nothing. After hazing me with a head trauma and then having to clean up the mess I made on Alexx's floor, he was contrite and a gentleman. He looked out for me those first shaky months in our Lab. He caught me when I fell short and cheered me on when I achieved. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor. He taught me everything he knew about being a CSI. I enjoyed his wry humor and he indulged me in every deductive fantasy I had, knowing that it would only make me a better investigator." Calleigh paused, thinking back to the Lab so many years ago. The sensation of loss was still sharp, but it no longer hurt. "You're right about him being there for me after a dad rescue. I was still pretty new and not a lead field investigator yet and he found me in the locker room after having to pick up my dad. I was a wreck. Dad was the worst he'd been in a long while and I just couldn't handle going back in and pretending everything was fine, because for me it wasn't. I was desperately trying not to cry when he walked in. He broke every last defense I had. I'll never forget what he told me. He held me as I cried and said: "Not everything in life works out, Calleigh. Sometimes we have to let go and grieve for what will never be." It' still comforting today. So, while I would give anything to have Tim back with us and our big brother again, I understand. I still mourn him, Eric, because I miss him, but I wouldn't exchange Ryan or Natalia and everything good they've brought into our lives and into our Lab. I just wish he could still be around. I miss my big brother."

Eric reached over and drew Calleigh to him. They were both teary eyed and heavily emotional at that point and needed each other's touch and comfort. They both cuddled into each other's embrace.

"I'm still mad at him," Calleigh said after a while.

"Why?"

Tears were evident in her voice and her accent was thick when she spoke. "Because the jerk didn't clean his gun and it jammed and that's why he was killed. His weapon didn't fire in time to save him. He had to look at his gun. It cost him precious seconds that got him killed. I told him after the last Dispo Day; I pleaded with him to clean his gun on a regular basis. I didn't try hard enough. Horatio didn't try hard enough. Tim's gun was filthy. It malfunctioned because it wasn't cleaned. I lied on my report to save Tim's reputation on the force and spare his memory of an IAB inquiry. He was a brilliant scientist and CSI. He was a lousy gun owner. Even in the light of that, he didn't deserve less than a heroes' funeral. He had brought so many killers to justice and put so many criminals behind bars and he trained you and me to be the CSI's we are today. He deserved my loyalty; I could give him nothing less."

"I always suspected you did that because Stetler backed off in a hurry," Eric said, sipping his port. "It was a mystery to me how you managed to hold it together during his funeral with the request his mom made of you and all."

Calleigh nodded. "It was hard. But it was what Tim wanted and I couldn't break down in the middle of everything and ruin what he wanted." She paused for a long time, lost in thought. "Hey, happy stuff, right? Why are we getting so bogged down here?"

Eric chuckled. "I don't know. Maybe because we really never talk about things like this. Do you remember the barbecue that we had out here right after Tripp was rotated in with us?"

Calleigh began to grin. "And the water balloon fight. If I remember right, Tim started it and Frank was soaked through by the time we finished with him. It wasn't so much a fight as a massacre. Even Adele splatted him a couple of times. We've all grown so apart lately. I really think we need some sort of party or outing to reconnect. No dead bodies, no crime, just all of us, some good food and relaxation."

Eric shook his head. "You didn't see what happened when you were so sick. I don't think we've ever been closer as a team. It drew us together like nothing could."

"That's not what I mean. That was a crisis and it naturally draws people together. It happened after you were shot. What I'm talking about is celebrating and fun. We haven't had a wholesale party in I can't think of how long. It's been at least since before Natalia came on board," Calleigh said, idly finishing off her crab. She proceeded to lick the extra butter off her fingers.

Eric grinned wickedly. "You did promise everyone a barbecue once you got your wind back, Cal. It sounds like that could be just the party we need."

Calleigh raised her eyebrows at him, giving him a saucy look. "It could be, but I'm wanting to celebrate all by ourselves right now. There are strawberries and whipped cream and I'm feeling pretty creative all of a sudden."

Eric picked up a fat strawberry, dipping it liberally in the whipped cream. He held it up to her. "Oh yeah, how creative?"

"Since we're in public, I'll have to keep it to a PG-13, which is a shame because I'll just have to put a limit on my creativity," She replied, running a finger down his arm and then letting it trail seductively across his chest.

Eric put the strawberry down and pulled Calleigh closer. "Who needs props?"


	28. Chapter 28

_**Okay kids, this is the last chapter for this story. I'm so sorry that this took so long to update, but I hit a major writer's block and couldn't figure out how to get, literarily, from a to z. Suddenly this week the block cleared and I could find the road. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and thanks for the patience. I had fun writing this and I hope everyone had fun reading it. I still have a few more stories to tell, so keep looking for them. **_

_**Stepping Forward**_

Jenny held her hands out as her patient grabbed the parallel bars and shakily stood on her own two feet. "Just come across to me. You can do this."

Giving Jenny a skeptical look, Calleigh began her slow and, to her, torturous trek of the twelve feet between her and her therapist. "That's easy for you to say."

Jenny smiled reassuringly at her. "You know I wouldn't encourage you if I thought you'd fail dismally. You might not get all the way over to me, but you'll get somewhere. Just give it a try, Calleigh; you've been making amazing progress so far."

"Alright, but if I fall flat on my face-"

"You won't because you're too strong for that. And don't look down; look at me," Jenny coached as she watched Calleigh slowly advance. "Come on, sweetie, you're almost there."

Calleigh grunted in effort as she made her way toward Jenny. There was no pain, just a deep and exhausting heaviness as she struggled to shift her weight and move each leg forward. The fact that the braces were on the heavy side wasn't helping. "Hey, can we give it a go without the braces? They weigh a ton."

"No, they're helping you to rebuild your strength right now. Besides, you still need them to keep your feet from turning in," Jenny said, her fingers brushing Calleigh's wrists before pulling back a couple of steps. "Almost there."

She was panting, sweat beginning to bead on her forehead; her arms began to shake from bearing most of her weight for so long. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Calleigh, look up at me. Look where you are. Yes you can," Jenny said forcefully, sensing her patient on the verge of giving up. That's when she realized that Calleigh didn't actually believe that she could make the distance on her own. "Two more steps and you'll be there."

Knees and elbows beginning to buckle, she looked up and fell into Jenny's arms, letting out a joyful sob. "I did it. I didn't think I could. It was so hard, but I did it. Thank you."

Jenny settled her on the waiting chair and gave her a hug. "I told you you could do this. Why do you persist in doubting yourself and what you can do? Remember, there is no try, just do."

Still breathing hard, Calleigh rolled her eyes and laughed. "Thanks, Yoda. I guess I'm trying to stay cautious in what I expect of myself. I don't want to be disappointed if this is as far as it gets."

Jenny sat in front of her and took her shaking hands. "I understand, I really do, but remember to let yourself hope and be open to anything that comes along. There's a certain amount of audacity in letting yourself hope for something more, something better. Be audacious in hoping, Calleigh, because you've already passed every expectation that Dr. Santos and I have had for you. You just keep crossing the line that we've drawn in the sand for you. I really do believe that, with enough time and hard work, you're going to walk, maybe even run again. Let's just not put a time limit on that. There are no timetables here. It could happen next week, next month or next year, but I believe it will happen. Keep hoping and make it happen."

"You really think I will?" Calleigh asked, hesitation in believing it in her voice.

"Yes, I do. You're allowed to hope now, Calleigh. You really are. Celebrate it; embrace it. Believe in it because it will happen. Dr. Santos wants to take a couple of tests to make sure we're on the right track," Jenny said. "Then the rest is up to you."

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Calleigh held Eric's hand tightly as Dr. Santos sat opposite them. "Well, what do the results say?"

Maria fixed her with an unbelieving stare. "You're a miracle, do you know that, Calleigh? First you're infected with an illness that has the highest kill rate next to Ebola, beat a brain damaging fever, slip into a near coma state only to wake up several weeks later, very weak, but completely free of the bacteria. If that wasn't enough, you've worked like a demon to overcome paralysis, not even knowing if it was possible. Do I think that you'll regain full use of your legs? Yes, I do. You simply can't not do so. You're a medical miracle and I am humbly privileged to be a part of it. The rest of your life is one hell of a gift. I know you'll make good use of it."

Calleigh looked down, trying to swallow past the enormous lump that rose in her throat. She sniffed once, twice, blinking back tears of joy. She was going to get her old life back and it was still sinking in. She was going to walk; she just didn't know when. When she could speak she cleared her throat, "Thank you for everything you did for me, Maria. I really mean it. You never gave up on me and you could have. You could have just thrown your hands in the air when I went unconscious and left me to hospice care. You fought for me, for my life and I don't know what I can ever do for you to convey how grateful I am."

Maria smiled at her. "I think you just did. Gabe will be monitoring you after I go home to Pennsylvania. It's been a pleasure, Calleigh and it's been good getting to know you, too, Eric. Keep taking good care of her."

"I will, doc; I promise," Eric said, his arm around Calleigh's shoulder. He turned to her, his heart bursting with joy. "Can we celebrate all out, now?"

Calleigh laughed, throwing her arms around him. "Yes, yes we can!"

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"Are you sure you're up to it, Calleigh? I mean, you've only started back full time a few weeks ago and you've pulled some long hours. Wouldn't you rather spend Saturday resting instead of throwing a barbecue for everyone?" Natalia said as the two ladies worked side by side in the Trace Lab.

Calleigh sighed and looked up at her friend. "Nat, I've been given a second chance, thanks to modern medicine and I want to just celebrate it; and I want to celebrate it with all of you."

"So you've got your wind back, then?" Natalia asked and then squinted at her evidence. "Calleigh, what is this stain?"

"I have no idea. Bring it down here so I can get a good look at it," Calleigh said, trying to suppress a grin. Over the last weeks she had been working extra hard at strengthening her legs and improving her range of motion. Just the day before she had graduated to using crutches to help her get herself around. It was exhausting work, but she was more encouraged than ever to keep working at it. She wasn't going to be asking for evidence to be brought down to her for all that much longer.

"See what I mean? I can't tell exactly what that is," Natalia said, highlighting the stain.

"It's a body fluid of some kind. It is a bed sheet, after all. It's entirely possible that could be a product of intercourse. Why don't we get a sample and send it to Valera and let her sort it out?" Calleigh replied, checking her watch. "I hate to say this, but I need to go. I have therapy in half an hour and Horatio promised to drive me and pick me up."

Natalia looked down at her. "How's that going, by the way? You never talk about it. I'm not trying to be nosy, but is it doing anything? Is it helping?"

Calleigh couldn't help but smile up at her very concerned friend. "Yes, it's helping. I don't talk about it because I don't want to bore anyone with it. It is pretty boring, you know. I do like the hydrotherapy, though."

"Calleigh, almost ready to go?" Horatio asked, entering the lab. He jangled his car keys.

She grinned at him, rolling past him into the hall. "Just let me grab my purse and we can go."

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"Hey, Frank, give the grill a rest," Ryan called as Natalia tossed the Frisbee at him. "I'm getting killed here. It's two against one."

"Yeah, yeah, just let me baste the ribs one more time," he said.

Alexx shook her head at him. "They're already coated."

He shot her a glare. "And who won the Spearman Texas barbecue cook off eight years in a row? That wouldn't be you, doc. Leave me to my basting. I don't tell you how to post a vic."

Horatio stretched out in the lawn chair and chuckled at the playful banter going on around him. He had to admit that the barbecue was doing everyone good as they all got reconnected again. Though, what was taking Eric and Calleigh so long? They both got everyone settled and happy and then disappeared. "Hey, Calleigh, Eric, what's taking you so long?"

"Just a minute, Horatio. It'll be worth the wait, I think," Calleigh called back from inside the house. She gave Eric a final grin and nodded. Eric pulled back the sheer curtain and slid the patio door open and let Calleigh walk out ahead of him. "Well, what do you think of my newest accessory?"

Horatio looked over at her and his jaw dropped. She was standing on her own two feet, aided by crutches, but she was completely standing."You're-"

"Yeah."

Ryan looked over just as the Frisbee collided with his chest. "Calleigh-"

Frank seemed to recover from the surprise quicker than anyone. He dropped his barbecue brush into the sauce and shot across the patio, scooping her up and spinning her around, letting out a joyful holler as he did so. He set her carefully back on her feet, making sure she was steady before letting her go.

"When, when did this happen?" Horatio stuttered, still reeling from the shock.

"A couple of weeks ago. I've been bursting to tell everyone, but I thought I'd just let you see for yourselves," she replied, making her way to one of the chairs. "I'll still need the chair at work for a while, but I'm walking again."

"Honey, what did the doctors say?" Alexx asked because Gabe and Maria told her nothing. She knew that Maria was planning on flying back to Pennsylvania at the end of the next week. She just assumed that Calleigh had improved as far as she could and Maria was closing the case.

"Horatio, you're going to have to have my Lab refit again. No rush, though. I'm no where near the point where I'll be able to spend a lot of time on my feet. This is just the beginning," Calleigh replied, grinning madly at her friends, her family.

"Well don't you just beat all?" Frank said bemusedly.

Natalia hugged her tightly. "I had a feeling the other day that you were keeping quiet and were being evasive when I asked how your therapy was doing. Why didn't you just tell me that you were walking?"

"What, and miss that look on your face? No way," she replied. "It was priceless."

Eric re-emerged from the house with two champagne bottles in his hands. "I think this needs to be toasted with some of the good stuff."

Calleigh shook her head. "You didn't have to..." She looked at the year and her eyes went wide. "Eric, these bottles just might total your entire paycheck. Why did you...?"

He leaned down and tenderly kissed her for them all to see. "Because this is a celebration, I love you and we're all worth it."

"Then pop that cork so we can all get a little liquid happy," Ryan said, leaning over and giving Calleigh a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're going to walk again. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, babe," she replied as she accepted a glass of champagne. She waited until everyone had on in hand. "I want to make a toast. It's to all of you. Alexx, you made Eric take me to the ER so that I could get help right away. I know I could have died if it wasn't for you. Horatio, Catholic guilt or not, it still isn't your fault. Ryan, Natalia, Frank, thank you for being there for me. Thank you for visiting me and driving me everywhere and just being around. Eric, I couldn't have made it without you there the whole time. Your strength and love and constant hopefulness kept me afloat when I struggled not to go under. I love you all and thank you."

Here here's were said and several hugs and kisses were given and taken before Calleigh wiped teary eyes. "Frank, where is your eight time award winning barbecue? I'm starving!"

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_**Eight months later...**_

"Calleigh, we have a call out to the 'Glades; feel like coming?" Horatio asked, sticking his head into Firearms.

"DB's and plenty of decomp and biohazard?" she asked as she looked up from her scope. "Stagnant water?"

"In spades," Horatio replied.

Calleigh stepped away from her scope and took off her lab coat. "What are you waiting for?" she asked already jogging for the elevator.


End file.
